Tomato Coleslaw

While growing up in Milwaukee, I ate a lot of creamy coleslaw. There was a Grebe's Bakery just up the block. We kids were often sent there to get their slaw. Because of this, I have an small obsession for coleslaws. That includes German red cabbage. That's not really a slaw, but you get the idea. Anyhoo, this is a recipe I came across that I've wanted to try. It comes from a grocery store check-out magazine called Cuisine Soups, Stews and Chilies.

As always, the recipe picture above is a 4x6 JPG. You can download it and print it on 4x6 photo paper to keep in your personal recipe box.

For equipment, you will need:

1. Two mixing bowls at least 8 cups in size. For one of them, I used my 8-cup glass measuring cup from Target.
2. A whisk. I just get the cheap ones at the local big-box Kroger.
3. A sharp knife and cutting board. My paring knives are Cuisinart, and I use a wood cutting board because a University of Wisconsin study says it is safer than plastic.
4. Various measuring spoons and cups. It would be helpful if you had a ⅛ cup, a ⅛ teaspoon, and a 1½ teaspoon (which is also a ½ tablespoon).
5. Salad tossing utensils. I use a flat wooden utensils; I don't remember where I got them.
6. A refrigerator.

For ingredients, you will need:

1. ⅜ c. distilled white vinegar
2. 1½ T. sugar
3. 1½ T. vegetable oil
4. 1½ t. kosher salt (available at my Dollar Tree; your availability may vary)
5. ⅜ t. cayenne pepper
6. One 14-oz. package of pre-cut coleslaw mix
7. One 10-oz. pint of cherry tomatoes
8. 1 bunch (≈120g) scallions (most people call the green onions, but they're really scallions)

1. Wash and halve the tomatoes, and put them into one of the mixing bowls
2. Slice the scallions, and put them into the same mixing bowl.
3. Over these, pour the bag of coleslaw mix.

Into the mixing bowl, measure the vinegar, sugar, oil, salt, and cayenne.

Whisk the dressing to combine the ingredients.

Pour the slaw mix into the bowl with the dressing. Using the tossing utensils, toss the slaw to coat it with the dressing.

Chill the slaw in the fridge until it is time to serve. The recipe didn't specifically say to cover it, but I thought it would be a good idea.

Did I nail it? The original recipe picture is on the left, and my slaw is on the right. I think I'm pretty close on this one, but I did leave culinary school because I couldn't plate pretty.

This is actually a fairly easy recipe to make. After all, you are buying the cabbage already shredded. The tossing is the most difficult part, as you could accidentally flip the slaw all over the place if you don't pay attention and try to go too fast.

Taste-wise, it isn't as tangy as other vinegar-based slaws I've had, and that's fine by me. That's one of the things I don't like about vinegar-based coleslaw. The tomatoes add a fresh note to an otherwise very earthy dish. The cayenne doesn't overpower the dish but gives a hint of heat, mostly in the aftertaste.

Since the grocery store doesn't sell coleslaw by the cup, I'll have to get a price next time I'm there. The price of the homemade, though, is 72¢ per ¾-cup serving. I just weighed the entire batch, and it came to 31 ounces. This divides out to 3⅞ ounces per serving, making it cost $2.98 per pound. The ONLY vinegar-based coleslaw I could find listed on the Internet was $5.49 per pound. With that much of a price difference, I think everyone should give this recipe a shot.