Another Real Recipe With Measurements and Everything

Last week my Aunt Camille invited us to her house for a barbecue. Nothing big or fancy, but it's nice to get out and see family. I offered to bring some coleslaw as I had a head of cabbage in the fridge and not enough coleslaw eaters to use it in the house, and Aunt Camille said she had wanted to try a recipe she had seen on the Food Network. She told me where to find it on the website, and seeing as how it calls for both cabbage and fennel, which also came in the box this week, it seemed the perfect thing to make.

I should explain my aunt and uncle a bit. On the outside, they appear to be a bit of a mismatch. Aunt Camille is tall and blonde and always perfectly dressed and made-up. She laughs a lot, likes going to Atlantic City with the girls, is fond of fancy cocktails and new, unusual foods. I love getting together with her. When she is at a gathering with my tee-totaling family, I always know I have someone to help me polish off a bottle of wine. Or two.

Uncle Sonny, on the other hand, is old-fashioned meat-and-potatoes. He is reserved, hard-working, doesn't drink and would rather be fly-fishing and camping in Montana than be cooped up in a luxury hotel with nothing to do. My aunt and uncle have been married nearly 50 years, so clearly their differences don't matter too much.

The recipe that I was preparing for this barbecue was simple enough. I was a little unsure about the addition of fennel. I have never prepared fennel before, and fennel is definitely an acquired taste. I figured for sure, my uncle would not eat coleslaw containing fennel. In fact, any coleslaw that wasn't the classic mayonnaise-soaked variety that you get at the local diner probably wouldn't be appreciated by him. The sauce part was yogurt, not mayonnaise, and contained maple syrup. Hmm. In my mind, we are getting a little crazy with flavors here. I wasn't about to buy red cabbage, napa cabbage and the like when I had plenty of green stuff in my fridge already, so I substituted the wakefield cabbage, an heirloom variety with a funny cone-head shape (see the top photo) that came in the box. I also had some carrots from the farm share; an extra bit of serendipity, I think.

If you choose to try this recipe at the end of the post, I would suggest either using garlic powder or only 1 small garlic clove. Two minced garlic cloves was very strong. As it turned out, my uncle did not eat much of the coleslaw. No surprise. He picked out the cranberries, too. My aunt thought it was great, but Mom found it too garlicky. I don't know what Dad thought; he doesn't really comment on food either way. I ate a fair amount to be a good citizen, but as I suspected, there were too many flavors competing against one another and not necessarily complementing one another.

Perfectly Crunchy Slaw

Recipe from Giada DeLaurentis of the Food Network

Ingredients
• 1/4 small red cabbage, shredded, about 2 cups
• 1/3 napa cabbage, shredded, about 2 cups
• 2 medium carrots, peeled and grated
• 1 fennel bulb, thinly sliced
• 1 Belgian endive spear, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 1/2 cup toasted pine nuts or pistachio nuts
• 1 1/2 cups plain yogurt
• 2 tablespoons sour cream
• 3 tablespoons maple syrup or honey
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/3 cup chopped chives
Directions
In a large bowl, mix together the cabbages, carrots, fennel, endive, cranberries and pine nuts. In a small bowl, combine the yogurt, sour cream, maple syrup, lemon juice, garlic, salt, and pepper. Pour the dressing over the vegetables and toss well until coated.
Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour. Garnish with chopped chives before serving