[rec] Judy’s Classic Southern Coleslaw

[CeeBee]

Never liked cole slaw till I got married and tried my mother in law's (Judy). Good thing my honey pie can make it too!

Judy’s Classic Southern Coleslaw

½ head of cabbage, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup sugar
2/3 cup mayonnaise (optional)
1/4 cup vinegar
salt and pepper to taste

Bruise the cabbage by sprinkling sugar over the chopped cabbage and mixing it in by hand, making a squeezing motion as you mix. Let sit at least 10 minutes to draw out the natural juices of the cabbage. Add remaining ingredients and mix thoroughly.

 

[Cassie]

Thanks for the recipe, CeeBee. I am always looking for coleslaw recipes that don't take a lot of time and extra work. Although squeezing the cabbage sounds like work to me, I am going to try it soon and will let you know how it turns out!

Cassie

 

[Cassie]

OK, I tried the cole slaw recipe. We had it tonight for dinner. It had a great flavor, a little on the tart side, but it was really soupy. Maybe I bruised the cabbage too much. Was I supposed to pour off some of the liquid before mixing in the other ingredients? The next time we won't put the mayo in and see if it makes any difference. Was still good. Ate two bowls of it.

Cassie

 

[AZ GRAMMY]

i make coleslaw like that except i dont add the vinegar & i dont squeez it, i just let it stand for awhile & the juices come. i'll have to try it your way & see how the family likes it.
thanks

 

[CeeBee]

Soupy coleslaw

Hi all! Mrs. CeeBee here.

CeeBee alerted me to the soupy coleslaw problem...

Troubleshooting suggestions:
1-Did you drain the cabbage well after washing?

2-It is unlikely that you bruised it too much, but it is possible.

3-If you thought it had too much liquid and was too tart, reduce the vinegar. Don't add more sugar because the sugar will just draw out more juices and make more liquid.

4-If you leave out the mayonnaise, you'll be making my grandmother, Luciele's recipe. I never liked it without mayo, but some people really don't like mayonnaise, so try it.

5-Sometimes my mother doesn't bruise the cabbage. It just depends on how much time she has and whether she minds getting her hands in there. You can try skipping this stage--I just think it makes a big enough difference to do it...

Hope this helps.

I'm getting into crockpot recipes now. CeeBee is starting to get tired of them, tho...

 

[Cassie]

Mrs. CeeBee!

Thanks for the troubleshooting suggs.

1-Did you drain the cabbage well after washing?
I didn't wash it. Just peeled the outer leaves off and grated it.


2. It is unlikely that you bruised it too much, but it is possible.
Oh, I .. don't..know! I was really mashing it up. Felt good to get my hands in that bowl and squeeze. For some reason I was thinking about something else at the time and might have squeezed a little too much. Looking now back at the recipe, it says to let sit for 10 min. I bruised it for 10 min! (sheeeesh)


3. reduce the vinegar.
Fine by me. My hubby likes the sour-sour taste. Just preferred more cabbage and less soup.

4-If you leave out the mayonnaise..
Probly won't do that, I like the mayo.

5-Sometimes my mother doesn't bruise the cabbage.
Thanks for telling me this. I have never bruised the cab before making cole slaw and never had the soupy problem. Will try all these suggs again later this week since I still have half the head left. Maybe I should have put more cabbage in the bowl.

Oh, well, thanks for taking the time to respond and I'll let you know how the new way turns out.

Thanks CeeBee.

Cassie

 

[Cassie]

OK, CeeBee, I tried the cole slaw again last night. Tell the Mrs. this is what happened this time --

I used my food processor to shred the cabbage -- did a great job.

I sprinkled sugar over the top and tossed it together with two forks. No bruising this time.

I let it sit for about 15 minutes.

Then I mixed about 1/8 cup vinegar with about 1/2 cup mayo and whipped it until smooth. Poured it over the cabbage and mixed it all together with two forks.

It was sooooooooooo gooooooooood.

Actually I tried to think how Judy would make it, and the thought struck me that she wouldn't really measure anything, so I just threw it all together, and presto! exceptional flavor and very crisp. Hubby liked it much better than the first time around. I think this is what it really is supposed to taste like. I know we will have this dish often.

Thanks!

Cassie

 

[CeeBee]

I'm so glad it worked out! I will pass along your message...

And you're right about my mother in law. She never measures anything. It took a long time to "capture" this recipe for that reason. After Margaret learned it, she was able to figure out how much of what to use.

 

[Cassie]

bumped for Judy

Judy,

Here it is! REad the entire thread before making it so you don't make the same mistake I did. It is absolutely delicious.

Enjoy!

Cassie

 

[judy018]

Slaw recipe

Thanks so much Cassie. I will try it out tomorrow with some cabbage from the neighbors. My garden got wiped out in the July frost ...yup, I said July... but I can get some next door. I'll let you know how it turns out.

Judy