My Grandmother's Scandalous Slaw Recipe

I am reluctant to call this recipe "my grandmother's scandalous slaw recipe" because I know I will get hits from freaks googling "scandalous grandmothers", but the fact is that this recipe has a bit of a family scandal behind it. I won't get into the details, but one family member claimed this to be her recipe. Then someone else decided to bottle it and sell it. Now what makes this funny is that all the people involved were about 80+ years old. What makes it extra funny is that if you google "refrigerator slaw" you will find tons of versions of the recipe. I don't think it was ever only one person's recipe. It appears to belong to everyone of German descent. Regardless, it is the best slaw you will ever try.



Refrigerator Slaw (my version)

1 head cabbage, shredded

2 medium onions, grated

half a jalepeno, diced

half a pepper, diced

1 cup vinegar

1 cup oil

1 cup sugar

2 tablespoons salt

1 tablespoon dried ground mustard seed

2 tablespoons celery seed



Mix a cup of vinegar, a cup of vegetable oil and a cup of sugar in a sauce pan. As my sister reminds me, "make sure your exhaust fan is on."

Add salt, mustard seed, and celery seed.

I had some frozen peppers left over from last summer's farm share, so I chopped them up and put them in a bowl.

With some frozen jalepeno a friend had given us last summer.

Most people shred the cabbage in a food processor, but I find cutting it with a knife by hand to be soothing.

Chop chop chop chop and...

Shred the two onions with a box grater (this is a seriously painful step, but I prefer the grated onions to chunks.)

Throw everything into a bowl and wait for the dressing.

After the dressing has simmered for 5 minutes, place it in the fridge to cool. After it has cooled, toss about half of it with the cabbage mixture. Save the other half for the next batch (or cut the dressing mixture in half.)

Voila! I really love this stuff. It's sweet, tangy, and kind of spicy.