A Southern Grace: worth it

August 25, 2009

worth it

Yum

I love it when five ingredients come together to create something that's so enjoyable to put in your mouth.


On the flipside, I hate it when a dish takes a good deal of time and physical exertion to put together.

In the case of pepper slaw, both are true. The question, then, is whether the end result is worth the taxing process.

The answer? Absolutely.

Unless you have a massive, full-size food processor, shredding or grating a head of cabbage is tedious and time-consuming work. To add insult to injury, there's no instant gratification--for the best results, you really should wait for the slaw to chill and marinate.


It's totally worth it, though. After some time in the fridge, the crisp, cool cabbage and crunchy peppers are the perfect accompaniment to many dishes, from hot dogs to ham. Heck, the slaw is plenty tasty on its own. Right now, I'm thinking about a juicy, saucy pulled chicken barbecue sandwich loaded down with the stuff (insert Homer Simpson drool face and noise here).

There are two versions displayed here. One makes use of regular ol’ homegrown white cabbage and green bell pepper (thanks Merlin!) and the other is a bit more colorful, using purple cabbage and some purple bell peppers I bought at my local farmer’s market. Truth be told, the white version tastes better, but I just love that purple hue.

Pepper Slaw
(recipe from Mammicus Maximus)

1/2 cup vinegar
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 head cabbage, shredded
1-3 bell peppers, diced

Combine vinegar, sugar, and salt and heat until the sugar dissolves. Pour over the cabbage and peppers and let the mixture marinate for a day or so before digging in.

68 comments:

Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella said...

Hehe it sure does look worth it indeedy! I don't mind a bit of elbow work but then again I always palm off those duties to Mr NQN. I figure it's the least he can do since he only cooks once every 2 years ;)

maybelle's mom said...

i love pulled chicken and cole slaw. but i hate grating anything. what a problem because it looks delicious.

Robin said...

A great and simple side dish and I agree this stuff is the best on pulled chicken or pork BBQ sandwiches. It's even good on a hamburger or hot dog with chili too!

Lindsey said...

I don't know what's wrong with me, but I don't like slaw...I love me some bbq and pulled pork, but I have never been able to deal with slaw.

Donna-FFW said...

Oh I would love both the crunch and the flavors of this on a sandwich!!

Gloria Baker said...

I love this and look so tasty, I like to a sandwich as Donna said! xGloria

Julia said...

Thank goodness for the food processor, eh? They both look delicious, but I'm with you - I like the color of the purple better. What about mixing the two -- get the flavor of the white with the color of the purple?

oneordinaryday said...

Ya know, I'm no fan of slaw, but it's a staple at any and all family meals my mom makes us. She still uses the box grater and also finds it completely tedious, but worth the effort.

Chef Jeena said...

I agree! Looking at the pictures and ingredients I think it is well work it - really delicious!

Christo Gonzales said...

the only way I like slaw is on a sandwich so this is perfect!

Anonymous said...

Looks gorgeous with with the purple cabbage! Delicious slaw!

Hornsfan said...

Tasty looking slaw - the pulled chicken BBQ discussion only adds to the allure!

Kate at Serendipity said...

This looks like it's worth digging out the food processor. I love slaw, and yours looks light and delicious.

I HATE to wait for it to 'cure' in the fridge. I always have to taste it and it's never the same when it's new.

Please don't mention barbecue to me. Here in Belgium, barbecue is a verb. It means to cook on a grill. Good Southern BBQ can only be found when I've made my Dad's sauce and can coerce my neighbor into slow cooking some ribs. That's about once a year...

Anna said...

I think I must have been the only first-year student in the whole UK last year with my own fullsize food processor... and you've just reminded me why. Oh, how I hate to chop! How I love to make simple slaw! How I.... am intrigued by your purple vegetables; that's really quite freaky. Worth trying, I think!

Melanie said...

Oooh, I love a good slaw and the great thing is, I am the only one in my family who like the stuff so I get it all to myself. I'm definitely trying your recipe. Yum!

vanillasugarblog said...

I put this or something almost similiar to this on my hummus/veggie wrap and it was a hit. And I was ok. I know you would understand that craving most my dear. :-)

Maria said...

I love the bright purple color!

Zoe said...

always a great side dish, even though time-consuming!

foodhoe said...

I have a food processor which mostly sits in the cabinet, but I am so glad to have it for projects like this! That purple one is stunning

La Bella Cooks said...

Never been a fan of slaw myself, but your purple cabbage photo might change my mind!

Ingrid_3Bs said...

I knew I was going to like this the moment I saw your photo. I LOVE cabbage! ESPECIALLY the purple. Thanks for sharing! I have a mackdaddy food processor so the toughest part will be the wait.

Tell your Moms thanks for sharing!
~ingrid

Hungry Dog said...

Now I am craving a BBQ chicken sandwich with slaw on it...and it's only 9:30am. Thanks. ;)

Pam said...

It looks like it's worth all the hard work. I've never thought to add bell peppers to my slaw - great idea.

Jennifer said...

YUM, I have never heard of Pepper Slaw before, I gotta try

Rosa's Yummy Yums said...

A great combination! Very original and tasty!

Cheers,

Rosa

nora@ffr said...

yumm!! love the beautiful color on this side dish!! tempting!! shud giv a try sometime sooner!
cheers!!

Foodie with Little Thyme! said...

OH how funny. My husband and I just love to watch the food processor chop up a head of cabbage. It's amazing! I would love some slaw on my sandwich right now.

Barbara said...

Interesting the "white" slaw tastes better than the purple. Why I wonder? I agree the purple looks more fun. Isn't it a pain to have to wait while flavors meld? Worth it though. I love your photos, Grace.

lisa is cooking said...

There was a cole slaw I used to order in a restaurant back home way back when I was a kid, and I was just thinking about it the other day. This could very well be the recipe for that slaw. I have to try it and find out. Looks great!

Lyndas recipe box said...

I've not tried using the purple cabbage for slaw before, but after seeing how gorgeous it is, I'm wondering why. It is alot of work and since I don't have a large food processor, I don't make slaw often enough. But now I'm craving it, Grace! Yours looks perfect!

Anonymous said...

Now I've heard of purple cabbage, but purple bell peppers? That's just too cute! My favourite colour's purple, so the purple one wins my vote! :P

giz said...

...and herein lies the reason I really love Napa cabbage. I would make this slaw - it's beautiful to look at and once the cabbage is actually shredded, soooo good.

Abby said...

Man, I love some good slaw on a good hot dog. Talk about drooling...

Sharon said...

Perhaps its the girl in me, but I'm lovin' those purple hues as well. Sadly, I'm not good without instant gratification. Perhaps I'll have someone else do the work so I can enjoy this yummyness.

tiffany @ the garden apartment said...

One of my favorite things to eat is crunchy slaws and slaw-like salads. Yours sounds delicious, and I'll have to add it to my slaw catalog :) Grace, have you ever tried apple slaw with cilantro dressing? Maybe I'll post about it soon. . . I've made it twice in the last week, and think that by the time I ate the entire bowl (both times) coated in dressing, the health benefits of the apple had been completely diminished. Yum, yum, now onto your slaw.

Bunny said...

I haven't had pepper slaw in years! As a matter of fact I asked one lady at work this past week why we don't make it anymore!! Thanks for the recipe Grace, I'll make it myself!

shaz said...

Lovely colours and I love a recipe with less than 5 ingredients thanks! I tend to use red cabbage too cos it's so purty, I always slice the darn thing finely - reckon it's less messier than grating.

Karine said...

I love the color of this! :)

Anonymous said...

MMM, I love cabbage, especially purple cabbage.

Half Baked said...

We make a similar slaw and it's true what they say, the waiting is the hardest part!! But you're right, sooo worth it. It's amazing after a day or two, even better after 3 days, but who can wait that long!! Great recipe:)

Maris said...

As far as ingredients are concerned I think the fewer, the better! Sounds like a great barbecue side dish.

pigpigscorner said...

ahh the shredding would be a pain! But wonderful textures and flavours.

Leslie said...

I am bad with dishes I have to wait for. But it sure looks tasty

The Blonde Duck said...

And it's PURPLE!

pam said...

I love vinegar based slaws much more than mayo based.

Chef Fresco said...

I love 5 ingredient recipes too! I like different slaw ingredients too :)

kimberleyblue said...

purple bell peppers? i've never seen those! they must be gorgeous!

i really like a good slaw, but you're right. they take sooo much time to prepare; i never make them, but i definitely should. this sounds awesome.

Deborah said...

I've got a food processor, so this would come together in a jiffy!

Paula said...

Purple. Slaw. Vinegary or creamy, I can get down with that! Love the Homer reference! Doh!

Emily said...

Mammicus Maximus has the best recipes!

This slaw sounds refreshing and delicious for summer.

Penny said...

I love this slaw. My recipe has oil in it too. Yours sounds healthier. Like the idea of purple cabbage.

Stacey said...

That sounds super refreshing. And definitely requires a food processor!

Juliana said...

Yummie, like the way that you make it without mayonnaise...looks so refreshing :-)

Unknown said...

I like sweet cole slaw only is that weird? I think I could handle this.

Marjie said...

Could you grate the ingredients with a food processor? I'm the queen of hating labor intensive cookery, myself.

Teanna said...

Ooooh I LOVE any type of slaw that does NOT contain mayo - love love love this - this looks fantastic and so easy to make!

toontz said...

So simple, and pretty! I love slaw (any kind), and this sounds delish!

Dewi said...

Simply delicious and refreshing!

Jacque said...

Oooh, that sandwich with slaw idea has me drooling!

Love it!

La Cuisine d'Helene said...

That slaw surely looks delicious.

Sophie said...

Ah, summer food! I've only made coleslaw with the bag mix (horrible, I know), my hubby really loves it with red cabbage though. He's been such a sweetie, I think I'ma make this for him :).

kellypea said...

You don't have to sell me on this one ever. I'm hooked on the stuff since I tried it early in the summer. Jeez. And on that BBQ sammie you mentioned? Ah, yep.

Lori said...

Crunch! I so need to eat that. I agree, makign slaw is a pain in the patoot but it is so good after all is said and done. I need to try your Mammicus one!

Kerstin said...

My hubby would love this, it's just so perfect for summer!

Lisa said...

Slaw is a great summer staple. Yours looks delicious! I love the simple dressing.

I have made slaw several times this summer but never got caught up in the shredding. I tried it in the food processor but didn't like the result so I just slice the head of cabbage then chop a little. The cabbage pieces that result are maybe a little coarse but I like the look and the ease of preparation.

emily said...

Michael has been asking for something like this for a while! Horray! Now I have a recipe!

Jaime said...

mmmm i love slaw- this looks great

Amanda @ Mrs.W's Kitchen said...

I adore cole slaw--it's a real favorite of mine. And honestly, I quit grating the cabbage long ago. I just slice it thinly and go with it. Call me lazy, I guess!

It's good so many ways, too--with mayo or without, using flavored vinegars... my slaw- and cabbage-hating husband even liked a batch I made using napa cabbage and romaine lettuce! (He said it tasted less cabbagey, whatever that means.)