E-mail article     Print view

Cabbage, Plus

With innovation, coleslaw just keeps getting cooler

PREV |  of  | NEXT

KEN LAMBERT / THE SEATTLE TIMES Sesame oil and rice wine vinegar put an Asian spin on a classic American coleslaw. Kale and chard contribute both color and texture for added interest.

COLESLAW COMES from the Dutch word "koolsla" — kool for cabbage, sla for salad. The online dictionary "Wordnet" defines it as "basically shredded cabbage."

But what distinguishes coleslaw from other salads is more than just the use of cabbage. Unlike most green salads that get dressed at the last minute, the salads that fall under the heading "slaw" are tossed with their dressing well in advance. Down South, where I grew up and learned to make coleslaw, I was instructed to let the cabbage sit in its dressing "for a good long while."

Sometimes, this is carried to extremes. Not long ago, I stumbled across a recipe for "Marinated Coleslaw" attributed to Alton Brown of the Food Network. The cook is directed to boil a dressing of sugar, vinegar, mustard seeds and celery seeds and pour the boiling syrup over shredded cabbage, which is then allowed to marinate for a full three days.

I'm not sure I could plan ahead that far every time I wanted coleslaw. And in any case, three days is more than "a good long while" — in relation to how far in advance I usually plan my coleslaw, it's an eternity. So I have never made that salad. I am fairly sure I would like it; I like almost any form of coleslaw. From the pale, shredded stuff in the supermarket delicatessen to my own favorite homemade version that combines cabbage, kale and chard in a vaguely Asian dressing, it all works for me.

Years ago, I started adding other greens to my slaw. At first, I did this simply because I had the greens on hand and thought I would give it a try, but I kept it up for several reasons. I think the slaw looks better with multiple greens, it tastes better, and I am certain that all those colorful leaves provide more vitamins and minerals than plain, white cabbage does.

To aficionados of the more traditional versions, my version might be a little off-putting at first, but it usually wins a few converts.

One night, not long after I became executive chef at Seattle's venerable Canlis restaurant, I took it upon myself to make some coleslaw for the "crew chow," the family-style meal presented to the staff just before service. We were having fried chicken, and coleslaw sounded to me like the perfect side dish. I shredded the greens, then I reached for homemade mayonnaise, sweetened it with sugar and thinned it with some rice vinegar. Then, because it was there and it seemed to go with the rice vinegar, I added some toasted sesame oil. To balance it all out, I added a little extra salt.

"Oh, that doesn't look like coleslaw," said one of the cooks. "We always make our coleslaw the same way: white cabbage with mayonnaise and sour cream." In those days, the Canlis kitchen, just like the Canlis dining room, was a place where traditions, especially those involving staff meals, were pretty well established.

But one of the waitresses who had been working there for decades stood up for my innovative efforts. "I don't like the way you always make that coleslaw," she said to the other cook. "It's boring. Let him do it his way."

When the new-style slaw was served, it brought a little ripple of excitement to the crew, and the next time we had fried chicken, a few people on the staff wanted to know if I would make "that coleslaw" again.

It seems to me that little innovations like this — incorporating Pacific flavors like sesame oil and rice vinegar into an American classic such as coleslaw — helped define not only my role as an innovator at Canlis but the shape of West Coast cooking in general. For years, lots of chefs have been making lots of little changes, and a distinctive style continues to emerge. I'd say we've come a long way from "basically shredded cabbage."

Greg Atkinson is a contributing editor for Food Arts magazine and a culinary consultant. He can be reached at greg@northwestessentials.com. Ken Lambert is a Seattle Times staff photographer.