Raising Cole Slaw to an Artform
We had a big cookout a couple weeks ago. I got the smoker and the barbecue grill going, which seriously distracted me from playing the amount of Wii I wanted to get in that day. There were enough friends over to keep Liam well stocked in victims though, including a couple of new people who found out for the first time what it's like getting whipped by that boy.
Most of the dishes were really simple. I bought some pork ribs and rubbed them in chile powder, half of them hot, half mild. There were also two pounds of frozen shrimp that I covered in olive oil and chopped garlic. The ribs sat on the grill for about five hours, the shrimp two.
I also smoked a few pounds of bluefish my roommate pulled from the Atlantic a couple weeks before. It turned out kind of dry, I think because it had been frozen. Between the fat in the fish and the cooking method I can't figure out what happened. It was good anyway, not too dry, but it did make me think it would be best in a chowder, soaked in milk. Next time I'll smoke them fresh, hopefully that will fix the problem.
Made my favorite summer vegetables too, ears of corn roasted in their jackets and tomatoes prepared with olive oil, rosemary and garlic. These went over the grill and slow roasted with just a little bit of flame at the end to give them a crust. Yum.
Put pineapple slices over the grill too, big fat ones from a pineapple bought by my (mostly) vegetarian friend Jill. I didn't take any pictures of them, but they were damn good and looked really cool.But all of this stuff is easy, just a little prep work and enough time over the low heat. The only dish I made that day that deserves a recipe was from the cookbook I bought on the way back to New York from Chattanooga, Tennessee. We stopped in Staunton, Virginia at Mrs. Rowe's Restaurant. I didn't have the cole slaw at the restaurant but I did pick up her cookbook and this is the first recipe I tried. It was a great place to start.
Mrs. Rowe's Sister B.B.'s Coleslaw and Dressing
Ingredients
Dressing
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/2 teaspoon yellow mustard
Salad
3 cups shredded cabbage
1/3 cup finely chopped celery
1/3 cup grated onion
1/4 cup grated carrot
Basically you mix together the dressing in one bowl, mix together the salad in another bowl and then pour the dressing over the salad. Mix it all up and put it in the fridge for an hour.
I used a fresh, whole-seed mustard that I think added to the crispness of the salad quite a bit. I realize this is a very basic cole slaw recipe, but the addition of salt, mustard and onion made a huge difference. I don't think I've had a slaw with those ingredients and they added layers to the salad that aren't usually there. Nothing better for a sunny Sunday afternoon.
