The recipe is given for half a white or green cabbage, though you can use savoy or red cabbage or a mix of all three. There’s enough here to have with friends or have as leftovers the next day. The finer you shred the cabbage, the nicer the finished texture.
There are no onions in this recipe, though you could add a small chopped onion, or chopped spring onions. However, in warm weather, onions, when chopped into mayonnaise-dressed salad, can start to ferment. In addition, raw onion has a powerful flavour that many do not appreciate, taking over ingredients with a more subtle taste — even cabbage!
To this basic recipe, you can add almost anything you fancy, from shredded apple, diced onion, chopped chives, torn roasted or smoked chicken, shredded corned beef, crumbled blue cheese etc. The list is endless.
For the coleslaw
| ½ | Cabbages, finely shredded (Main) |
| 2 | Carrots, washed and grated (you can peel if you wish) |
| 200 g | Cheddar cheese, or similar, grated (equivalent to 2 cups grated cheese) (Main) |
| 1 can | Canned crushed pineapple, drained and juice retained |
| 5 large | Gherkins, use up to 6, finely shredded, or coursely grated |
| 1 handful | Fresh parsley, chopped (any variety is fine) |
For the dressing
| ⅓ cup | Mayonnaise, use up to ½ cup (Main) |
| ¼ cup | Pineapple juice, from the canned pineapple |
| 2 Tbsp | Brine, from the bottled gherkins |
Directions
- Toss the cabbage, carrots, cheese, pineapple, gherkins and parsley together in a bowl.
- In a small jug mix together the mayonnaise, pineapple juice and gherkin brine and toss through the coleslaw about 20 minutes before serving.
