Lemon and chipotle coleslaw

What a handsome red cabbage!  Or at least, that was my first thought when gifted some of the cabbage overflow from my parents’ bountiful garden.  And don’t you agree?

And my second thought was coleslaw.

Coleslaw, or slaw, has made quite the resurgence of late, I believe as part of the Americana food trend. It’s a welcome resurgence as far as I’m concerned; I have always loved coleslaw.   In my 1980’s suburban New Zealand childhood all coleslaw came with a generous slathering of mayonnaise and I loved every inch of it, particularly leftover coleslaw sandwiches  (there was little competition with my sisters for this lunchbox item).

Coleslaw’s history begins in Holland as ‘koolsla’, a cabbage salad.  It came to New York with the flood of Dutch immigrants who grew cabbages around the Hudson River.  Cabbage appears to be the only consistent ingredient of coleslaw over the years, with many variations now common.

And mine is one of these.  I don’t think it’s particularly traditional to have chipotle with your coleslaw, but it gives it a nice heat and makes it a good accompaniment for barbecued meat and corn cobs. A word about the chipotle – I used this lovely Orcona smoked chipotle from the sunny Hawke’s Bay superb flavour and my is it hot!  I find a only need a pinch in this recipe, but it may vary with your chipotle and palate.

You will need:

• One red cabbage, finely sliced
• One grated carrot
• Juice of one lemon
• 2 tablespoons peanut oil
• 1/2 – 1 teaspoon of chipotle flakes
• 2 tablespoons chopped coriander
• 2 tablespoons chopped mint

In a large bowl, whisk the lemon juice and peanut oil together.  Add the chipotle flakes, coriander and mint and mix in.

Put the cabbage and carrot on top of the dressing in the bowl and toss the vegetables in the dressing.

Serve immediately.