food comas

Jen and I love cooking for friends and, well, have them feed us as well. One of our neighbors was making Kālua Pork one night so Jen and I were tasked with making some sides. She decided to try Lomi-Lomi Salmon and I made Cole Slaw. Because my dish was relatively easy, I decided to bring it up a notch and use Thomas Keller’s recipe (probably one of the simplest in his Ad Hoc book). I’m not an expert on cole slaws, but I was a fan of this sour cream-based one. It tasted less rich than if it had been made with mayonnaise, and I liked the sour tanginess. I also had a bunch of the cabbage/carrot mix leftovers, and since the dressing won’t last more than a couple days, I ended up braising the veggies with some chicken stock to make another side dish.  Yay for not wasting any ingredients!

For other slaw ideas, try Spring Pea and Cabbage Slaw with Old Bay or Apple Cider Slaw.

Cole Slaw (courtesy of Thomas Keller’s Ad Hoc)

Yield: 9 cups

Ingredients:

For the dressing:

• 3/4 cup sour cream
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1 ½ teaspoons dry mustard
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 ½ teaspoon celery seeds (omitted because I didn’t have any)
• 1/4 cup champagne vinegar (replaced with Apple Cider Vinegar, which works but the flavor it imparts is stronger)

For the slaw:

• 1 carrot, peeled and grated
• 4 cups 1/16 inch wide strips sliced purple cabbage
• 4 cups 1/16 inch wide strips sliced green cabbage (I just used 1 head of purple)
• 2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
• Fresh lemon juice to taste
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Whisk all the dressing ingredients together and refrigerate until ready to use, or up to three days.

Toss the cabbage and carrot together in a large bowl. Add sesame seed, sprinkle with fresh lemon juice and add dressing right before eating to prevent the purple cabbage from bleeding. Season with salt and pepper.

If you have leftovers, cook the cabbage and carrots over medium heat, and braise in some chicken stock. Makes a great side dish!