Coleslaw

I don't imagine there'll be many recipes on this page - seeing as how much I dislike coleslaw!

Nigel Slater's Classic Coleslaw

salad veg

I'm not a great fan of coleslaw, particularly those buckets of slimy shredded carpet sold at your local Fucking Supermarket™, but I was encouraged by Nigel Slater's enthusiastic promotion of this classic recipe, and his promise of ingenious ways to defeat the slime.
He lied.
But it is better than commercial versions.

Makes quite a hefty bowl full.

Ingredients

¼ white cabbage, thinly shredded
¼ red cabbage, thinly shredded
2 carrots, grated
½ onion I used a red one, thinly sliced
The dressing:
6 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 teaspoons mustard
lemon juice or vinegar
options:
horseradish
sour cream/yoghurt/crème fraîche

Method

The Recipe
Finely shred a quarter of a white cabbage, the same of red, half a sweet onion and a couple of medium carrots. Scatter a little salt over them, then leave them in a colander on a plate.

Note: What Nigel definitely doesn't mean here is to salt the vegetables like you would salt aubergines to remove excess water. If you try that the salt won't pull out enough moisture to wash itself out of the shredded vegetables and you will end up with very salty coleslaw.
So, either douse in salt and then rinse the excess off thoroughly after marinating, or just scatter in a normal amount - a half teaspoon would be ample.

Incidentally Felicity Cloake documents an alternative marinade of a mixture of salt, sugar and vinegar.

Others suggest simply dressing (made with cider vinegar) the coleslaw an hour before serving to give it time to soften and for the flavours to meld.

After an hour, discard any juice that may have run out and squeeze the vegetables gently. Make the dressing with 6 tbsp of mayonnaise and 2 tsp of grain mustard. (If you wish to add a spoonful of soured cream or thick yogurt or crème fraîche, do it now.) Add chopped parsley, a dash of lemon juice or vinegar and then any bells and whistles that appeal. Enough for 4.

I skipped the mustard and added lemon juice and a couple of tablespoons of homemeade horseradish cream and some fromage frais

The Trick
Don't try to make this more than a few hours ahead of time, or the cabbage will take on the slimy note prevalent in ready-made versions. To be interesting it needs the contrast between creamy mayonnaise and crisp vegetables. To get your cabbage really crisp shred it thinly, then soak it for 20 minutes in cold water before draining and salting. My (as in, Nigel's) favourite version uses vinaigrette, not mayo, and pomegranate seeds.

In fact I did a taste test, keeping some of my cabbage un-soaked while I soaked the rest. And I'd say it's true - the soaking did result in a tiny improvement in the level of crispness. Or probably more a reduction in the level of chewiness, so that the strands are more willing to snap between your teeth.
It's quite a small difference though, so if you're short of time I wouldn't bother, but as the Fucking Supermarket™ has it Every little ripoff helps.

The Twist
Smoked almonds, capers, apples, toasted pecans and sunflower and pumpkin seeds are all worthwhile add-ons. I (as in, Nigel) introduce a modicum of heat with radishes or a layer of crunch with shredded celeriac or paper-thin slices of mouli. Kohlrabi can find a home here, too. Crushed juniper berries will add a Nordic freshness.

I added sliced fennel to mine.

People who like coleslaw seemed to like it.
I might try thinning the dressing for my own tastes though. Oh, and probably adding something to the salad that tastes nice!