British BBQ Society Forums

I'm still scared off by the 250ml oil

Sorry to respond to such an old thread...

The biggest problem I have with coleslaw is it gets limp and somewhat soggy when you make it and leave it overnight. Does this happen with this recipe?

Looking at the ingredients, the 250ml of oil doesn't bother me too much - you would probably have that much oil if you used mayonnaise, though it would be emulsified oil and stick to the slaw a bit better. If this is an American recipe, then the definition of 'large head' of cabbage may well be different to the British definition. American cabbage heads can be huge - easily double or triple the size of what you find in a UK supermarket. If you go to 'ethnic' shops - particularly ones which cater to eastern European & Turkish populations - you can get very large cabbages - but they are of a slightly different variety. They are somewhat flat shaped with very large leaves. I've never tried coleslaw with these.

My biggest concern in this recipe is the amount of sugar. I don't like too much sweetness - I may well halve or quarter that amount, but would have to try the recipe first!

Here's an interesting historical tidbit: I believe the _basic_ recipe for the American Slaw in the original post...was created by an Englishman, Fred Harvey. Obviously, it has been embellished a bit since then and some of the additions are great.

...At the age of 15, Fred Harvey left his native England for the United States. Upon his arrival in New York City, Mr. Harvey began working in the restaurant business in New York...

...Upon arrival in Kansas in 1870, Mr. Harvey met Charlie Morse, President of the fledgling Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railway. For the next near century, Fred Harvey's company would bring good food at reasonable prices in clean, elegant restaurants, to the travelling public throughout the Southwest. They also brought civilization, community, and industry to the Wild West.

Only 15 years later, there were 17 Harvey Houses; at their peak, there were 84! http://www.harveyhouses.net

The original Harvey House Slaw recipe is:

HARVEY COLE SLAW

In a large bowl, combine one medium head cabbage, shredded, and one small onion, finely minced. Spread one- third cup granulated sugar over it, toss with fork. Next, bring to boil one teaspoon sugar, one and one- half teaspoon salt, one- half teaspoon dry mustard, one- half teaspoon celery seed, one- half cup salad oil, one- half cup apple cider vinegar. Pour over cabbage, toss thoroughly and refrigerate for at least four hours. Serves five to six, lasts beautifully.

http://www.stephenfried.com/blog/?paged=13

I use this recipe quite often. I'm a fan of simple-is-usually-better and this is a pretty easy recipe. I use a light salad oil like safflower/sunflower/canola. No olive oil or anything with a heavy taste.