[Sca-cooks] Transylvanian Cabbage Salads

[Terry Decker]

So, here we go again.  I have a salt encased roast in the oven, that I'll report on later.  For the moment, I'll comment on some experiments with half a head of cabbage and the two proto-coleslaw recipes in The Science of Cooking.  They are easy to make, and should scale easily.  I was also struck by how similar they are to Herman's Coleslaw, a signature dish of Herman's Seafood Restaurant, which in its day was one of the best seafood restaurants located in the central U.S.

(494) Raw cabbage salad.
Slice it into little pieces, add some vinegar and tree oil, then some black pepper and sugar. The Italians do it like this.

1/4 head of cabbage, sliced thin and chopped

In a small bowl combine:

1/4 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/4 Cup Cider (or Wine Vinegar)
1/4 tsp.  black pepper, ground
1 Tbsp. Sugar, granulated
Whisk and mix with the cabbage 


(495) Cabbage salad.
We Hungarians do it like so. We slice the raw cabbage into little pieces, add salt, then wash it from the salt twice or thrice, then wash it in wine. Then we add vinegar, tree oil and slice some onions – we do it like this.

1/4 head of cabbage, sliced thin and chopped
1 Tbsp. salt
1/2 Cup Wine (in this case I used a cheap sweet red)

Scatter the salt over the cabbage.
Let stand.

Wash the cabbage in water three times, draining through a strainer

In a small bowl combine:

1/4 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/4 Cup Cider (or Wine Vinegar)
Whisk and mix with the cabbage 


1/4 Cup Onion, diced small or thin slices cut in half
Add to the cabbage mix and stir in

This version tastes a little salty.  It might help to let the cabbage stand in the wine for a few minutes.


After a taste test of both dishes, I combined them and added a little more onion.


Herman's Cole Slaw

Ingredients:

1 head cabbage, thinly sliced
2 onions, thinly sliced
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1 cup cider vinegar
1 teaspoon dry mustard
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon celery seed
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 - 3/4 cup vegetable oil
2 bottles of sliced pimentos (or use grated carrot, this is for color rather than taste)

Directions:
Shred cabbage & onions. Cover with the 1/2 cup sugar. Set aside for about one hour. Boil vinegar, 2 Tbsp sugar, mustard, salt, and celery seed; pour over cabbage while hot. Add grated diced pimientos. Add garlic & salad oil. Let set 24 hours; serve cold. It is quite tart, so add sugar "to taste". Will keep in refrigerator for weeks


Now, back to the kitchen.

Bear