Read The Cook's Illustrated Cookbook Online
Authors: The Editors at America's Test Kitchen
Tags: #Cooking
The Cook's Illustrated Cookbook (28 page)
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS
For a deli-style slaw with crisp cabbage and a piquant dressing that wasn’t too sharp, we salted the cabbage. Salting helps the cabbage exude its liquid, leaving the cabbage pickle-crisp. After a number of failed experiments with dressings, we decided to give low-acidity rice vinegar a try. We drizzled a bit over the mayonnaise-tossed cabbage and found its mild acidity perfect.
SERVES 4
If you like caraway or celery seeds in your coleslaw, you can add one-quarter teaspoon of either with the mayonnaise and vinegar. You can shred, salt, rinse, and pat the cabbage dry a day ahead, but dress it close to serving time. For information on shredding cabbage,
CLICK HERE
.
¹⁄ | head red or green cabbage (1 pound), cored and shredded or chopped (6 cups) |
1 | large carrot, peeled and shredded |
1 | teaspoon salt |
¹⁄ | small onion, minced |
¹⁄ | cup mayonnaise |
2 | tablespoons rice vinegar |
Pepper |
1.
Toss cabbage and carrots with salt in colander set over medium bowl. Let stand until cabbage wilts, at least 1 hour or up to 4 hours.
2.
Pour draining liquid from bowl; rinse bowl and dry. Dump wilted cabbage and carrots into bowl. Rinse thoroughly in cold water (ice water if serving slaw immediately). Pour vegetables back into colander. Pat dry with paper towels. (Vegetables can be stored in zipper-lock bag and refrigerated overnight.)
3.
Pour cabbage and carrots back again into bowl. Add onion, mayonnaise, and vinegar; toss to coat. Season with pepper to taste. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. (Coleslaw can be refrigerated for up to 1 day.)
SERVES 6
Since rice wine vinegar tends to mellow, you may want to use cider vinegar if making the slaw a day ahead. The presence of the sugar in this recipe keeps you from having to rinse off salt from the cabbage, as is ordinarily the case. For information on shredding cabbage,
CLICK HERE
.
¹⁄ | head red or green cabbage (1 pound), cored and shredded or chopped (6 cups) |
1 | large carrot, peeled and grated |
¹⁄ | cup sugar |
1 | teaspoon salt |
¹⁄ | teaspoon celery seeds |
6 | tablespoons vegetable oil |
¹⁄ | cup rice vinegar |
1 | teaspoon curry powder |
1 | medium tart apple, peeled and cut into small dice |
¹⁄ | cup raisins (optional) |
Pepper |
1.
Toss cabbage and carrots with sugar, salt, and celery seeds in colander set over medium bowl. Let stand until cabbage wilts, at least 1 hour or up to 4 hours.
2.
Pour draining liquid from bowl; rinse bowl and dry. Dump wilted cabbage and carrots from colander into bowl. Rinse thoroughly under cold running water (ice water if serving slaw immediately).
3.
Add oil, vinegar, curry powder, apple, and raisins, if using; toss to coat. Season with pepper to taste. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. (Coleslaw can be refrigerated for up to 1 day.)
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS
For a bright, refreshing coleslaw, we started by ditching the mayonnaise in favor of a light dressing of oil, cider vinegar, and sugar. To keep the moisture of the cabbage from diluting the dressing, we salted the cabbage and put it in the microwave, which pulled out ¹⁄
2
cup of excess water in just 2 minutes. Chilling the dressing compensated for the warm cabbage, and a brief chill in the fridge allowed the flavors to meld. Replacing the usual domineering onion with grated carrot and chopped parsley and adding ¹⁄
4
teaspoon of celery seeds for a little zip gave us a refreshing slaw that would go with almost anything.
SERVES 4
When it comes to the sweetness level of coleslaw, tastes vary. For this reason, prepare the coleslaw as directed and then season to taste with up to 2 teaspoons of sugar or up to 2 teaspoons of vinegar, adding 1 teaspoon at a time. For information on shredding cabbage,
CLICK HERE
.
¹⁄ | cup apple cider vinegar, plus extra for seasoning |
2 | tablespoons vegetable oil |
¹⁄ | teaspoon celery seeds |
¹⁄ | teaspoon pepper |
¹⁄ | head green cabbage (1 pound), cored and shredded (6 cups) |
¹⁄ | cup sugar, plus extra for seasoning |
Salt | |
1 | large carrot, peeled and grated |
2 | tablespoons chopped fresh parsley |
1.
Combine vinegar, oil, celery seeds, and pepper in medium bowl. Place bowl in freezer until vinegar mixture is well chilled, at least 15 or up to 30 minutes.
2.
While mixture chills, toss cabbage with sugar and 1 teaspoon salt in large bowl. Cover and microwave for 1 minute. Stir briefly, re-cover, and continue to microwave until cabbage is partially wilted and has reduced in volume by one-third, 30 to 60 seconds longer.
3.
Transfer cabbage to salad spinner and spin cabbage until excess water is removed, 10 to 20 seconds. Remove bowl from freezer, add cabbage, carrots, and parsley to cold vinegar mixture, and toss to combine. Adjust flavor with sugar or vinegar and season with salt to taste. Refrigerate until chilled, about 15 minutes. Toss again before serving.
Substitute 2 tablespoons lime juice for celery seeds, ¹⁄
2
thinly sliced red bell pepper and 1 or 2 seeded and minced jalapeños for carrot, and 1 thinly sliced scallion for parsley.
Increase cider vinegar to ¹⁄
3
cup. Substitute 1 teaspoon grated orange zest and 3 tablespoons orange juice for celery seeds, ¹⁄
2
thinly sliced fennel bulb and ¹⁄
4
cup golden raisins for carrot, and 1 tablespoon minced fennel fronds for parsley.
Reduce cider vinegar to 3 tablespoons. Substitute ¹⁄
2
teaspoon Dijon mustard for celery seeds, 1 Granny Smith apple cut into matchsticks for carrot, and 2 teaspoons minced fresh tarragon for parsley.
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS
Unlike cooked purees or gratins, a celery root salad should maintain the vegetable’s pristine white appearance, its crunchy, coleslawlike texture, and (most important) its refreshing herbal flavor. For easy peeling, we removed the top and bottom from the celery root and then used a paring knife to remove the outer layer of flesh from top to bottom. For thin pieces of celery root that would still retain their crunch, we used the coarse side of a box grater or a food processor. We dressed the celery root with a vinaigrette finished with sour cream, which lent the salad creamy, tangy richness.
SERVES 4 TO 6
Add a teaspoon or so more oil to the dressed salad if it seems a bit dry.
DRESSING
2 | tablespoons lemon juice |
1¹⁄ | tablespoons Dijon mustard |
1 | teaspoon honey |
¹⁄ | teaspoon salt |
3 | tablespoons vegetable or canola oil |
3 | tablespoons sour cream |
SALAD
1 | head celery root (14 ounces), peeled |
¹⁄ | Granny Smith apple, peeled and cored |
2 | scallions, sliced thin |
2 | teaspoons minced fresh parsley |
2 | teaspoons minced fresh tarragon (optional) |
Salt and pepper |
1. FOR THE DRESSING:
In medium bowl, whisk together lemon juice, mustard, honey, and salt. Whisk in oil in slow, steady stream. Add sour cream; whisk to combine. Set aside.
2. FOR THE SALAD:
If using food processor, cut celery root and apple into 1¹⁄
2
-inch pieces and grate with shredding disc. (Alternatively, grate on large holes of box grater.) You should have about 3 cups total. Add immediately to prepared dressing; toss to coat. Stir in scallions, parsley, and tarragon, if using. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate until chilled, about 30 minutes. Serve. (Salad can be refrigerated for up to 1 day.)
Add ¹⁄
2
teaspoon caraway seeds and 1¹⁄
2
teaspoons prepared horseradish along with herbs.
To remove the skins from the hazelnuts, rub the hot toasted nuts in a clean kitchen towel.
Substitute ¹⁄
2
firm pear, grated, for apple and add ¹⁄
4
cup hazelnuts, toasted, skinned, and chopped along with herbs.
Substitute 2 tablespoons finely chopped red onion for scallion and add 2 teaspoons minced fresh mint, ¹⁄
2
teaspoon grated orange zest, and 1 teaspoon fennel seeds along with parsley.
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS
Classic potato salad is too often blanketed in a mayonnaise-rich dressing that results in bland flavor. We were looking for flavorful, tender potatoes punctuated by crunchy bits of onion and celery. We found that seasoning the potatoes while they’re hot maximizes flavor, so we tossed hot russet potatoes with white vinegar. A conservative hand with the mayonnaise made for a creamy, but not soupy, salad. In the crunch department, celery is a must, and one rib fit the bill. Among scallions, shallots, and red, yellow, white, and Vidalia onions, red onion was the winner for its bright color and taste. For a pickled flavor, we decided on pickle relish, which requires no preparation and gives the potato salad a subtle sweetness. We tested celery seeds, a seasoning that has fallen out of favor; celery seeds didn’t merely add strong celery flavor but also provided an underlying complexity and depth.
