Cooking ~ Caesar's Super Slaw

This recipe for coleslaw goes well with BBQ chicken, ribs, pork or just about any picnic or party event. The dressing is quite bright or acidic but that is offset by the sweetness of the dried cranberries and candied ginger. It's best to make this about 4 to 6 hours in advance and let the flavors meld and macerate. This recipe has raves from my southern friend Jimmy who said, "This is the best goddam coleslaw I've ever had!" It's best to find a combination of white wine vinegar to apple cider vinegar. The 2-to-1 ratio below is where I start and gradually add to the dressing base until it's tart. Sometimes I use a 1-to-1 ratio and gradually add to the dressing mix. Remember, that the dressing needs to be somewhat tart and acidic.

 

 

Caesar’s Super Slaw

• 1 med head of cabbage - shredded (chopped julienne style)

Dressing:

• 6 tbls mayonnaise
• 1 tbls Dijon Mustard
• 2 tbls white wine vinegar
• 1 tbls apple cider vinegar
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 2 tbls lemon juice (about 1/2 lemon) w/pulp
• 2 3-finger pinches of salt
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• Dried cranberries – whole
• Candied ginger – finely diced

Combine all the dressing ingredients except the vinegars and then gradually add the vinegars until the right tartness. Toss in the dressing to the shredded cabbage then add liberal amounts of dried cranberries and finely diced candied ginger. Let the mixture stand in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours.

 

ENJOY THE SUMMER MY FRIENDS!!!

 

Cooking ~ Summer Salad

I brazenly steal most of my recipes from others...and I'm shameless about it. This is the first post at the Acadame, so what could be better than my favorite summer salad...since summer is right around the corner!

 

GREEK APPLE SUMMER SALAD !!!

 

This is my favorite salad to make and to eat. I think I stole this recipe from a public television cooking show. Here is the recipe...

 

• On a bed of arugula, put slices of one apple (I prefer organic as there is usually more flavor).
• Add chopped kalamata olives
• feta cheese
• sliced red onion
• lemon zest, (cracked pepper at this point if one wants it a bit spicy)
• and drizzle with a very good extra-virgin olive oil

Just before serving/eating, drizzle with freshly-squeezed lemon juice. This version is garnished with thinly-sliced Italian-style dry salami.

I went a little overboard with this version. I topped it with shredded pecorino cheese and cracked pepper. This was still a good variation of the recipe but the cheese was a little too much for me. This version might still be okay for those who like a lot of flavor and saltiness. This salad, in any variation, pares well with a good citrusy sauvignon blanc (pictured).