California Cole Slaw

(Serves 6)

1 lb green cabbage
½ cup Miracle Whip
½ cup sour cream
2 stalks celery, coarsely chopped
1 carrot, coarsely chopped
1 medium green pepper, coarsely chopped
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp freshly ground pepper

Shred cabbage moderately fine, using hand-held box grater/shredder. (Use side with largest holes.) Stir in remaining ingredients, mixing thoroughly. Chill for 10-15 minutes before serving.

Early in my cooking career, I tried to make the perfect cole slaw -- meaning the way I remembered it from childhood. My mother told me the basic ingredients on the phone, but however I tried it -- chopping the cabbage with a knife, or shredding it with a Cuisinart -- it just didn't seem right. Then I did it with what I've described here as a "hand-held box grater/shredder" -- you know what I'm talking about. And that was it! The texture was apparently as important to my memories as the taste, and the texture didn't come out right any other way. Miracle Whip instead of mayonnaise is important too, though if you were brought up with mayonnaise you'll probably prefer it in your cole slaw. The sour cream and celery are fairly recent additions (I don't remember ever encountering either one as a child, and certainly not in cole slaw), but they give the dish a lightness and crispness that I like.

Alan Elms

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