Editor's January Pick #15: Coleslaw Conundrum

Editor's note: I often find myself with random cravings for food and coleslaw is one of the foods one which hopefully isn't that unusual. So when I do it's a sure-fire thing there'll be a blog post up on MiamMiam to either talk me through what I'm doing, give me inspiration to try a twist, or tell me where I might be going slightly wrong. So for one of the finest takes, I present from 2017...

(As a side note and not connected with this piece at all I found out whilst glancing through the blog that deglazing a pan it turns out does not involve a power sander, and I wish I was making that up...)

The coleslaw conundrum - Coronation Slaw

My quest for a good quality coleslaw has been going almost as long as the vegetarian burger.

I mentioned the slaw in My Quest with a photo of it, alongside the corn and chickpea burger and promised that the recipe would follow, here it is :

Coronation Slaw

110g white cabbage, finely sliced – approximately

one third of a medium size cabbage

1 carrot – peeled and sliced with a

julienne peeler

1 spring onion – 15g finely sliced

salt and black pepper

30g ready to eat apricots, finely diced

30g sultanas soaked in mango and apple juice

50g mayo

50g sour cream

1 tsp mild curry powder

squirt of lime juice

1 tbsp mango chutney

If there's one thing that gets on my wick it the huge lumps of woody cabbage you always find in shop bought coleslaw.

If you are of a similar mind and decide to try this recipe, I promise you that attention to detail is worth the effort. Here's what I mean :

First up slice a “cheek” of cabbage – a sharp paring knife is the best piece of kit – smaller and more easy to control – with care!

The recipe given will give you a box of slaw – measuring approximately 11cms x 6.5cms x 5cms. One box lasted me a week, a spoonful here and a spoonful there – you'd be surprised how well it fits as a side to lots of main dishes and particularly as part of a sandwich.

To be continued ...

Two sauces and a pudding – now for the pudding!

Everyone has their favourite “go to” Yorkshire pudding recipe but if you haven't and need one – here it is – it does exactly what it says “in the tin”!

The Yorkshire pudding

This recipe belongs to Brian Turner a well known Chef and Yorkshireman to boot, so well qualified. The recipe's success is because it works not by weight but by volume. Use any size cup but measure each ingredient with the same cup. I'm not sure what the vinegar does but it's his Granny's recipe and it works so if it ain't broke don't fix it!

1 large cup plain flour

pinch of salt

1 large cup of eggs

1 large cup mixed milk and water

1 tbsp malt vinegar

beef dripping for pudding tin – use vegetable

or rapeseed oil if preferred

You'll need a Yorkshire Pudding tin

4x24x24x2cms or 12 hole muffin tin/Yorkshire

Pudding baking pan

Pre-heat oven 180fan/200c/Gas 6.

Sift the flour and salt into a large bowl.

Add the eggs and beat well with half the liquid until all the lumps have disappeared.

Add the rest of the liquid and the vinegar and allow to stand.

In the Yorkshire pudding tin put a dessert spoon of dripping in each of the 4 sections and place in the oven until it is very hot.

Ladle the batter into the individual sections of the tin and place back in the oven.

Bake for 25 minutes without opening the oven if possible. Serve immediately.

It really is foolproof.

Next up the final Christmas bits and then it's New Year!

Winter menu – option 6 – twice cooked roasties

I mentioned in Option 4 (Tarragon Quorn fillets with roast potatoes) that you can never have enough roast potatoes and suggested you set aside part roasted potatoes, foiled and fridged. You've heard of twice cooked chips? Here are twice cooked roast potatoes.

The easiest way is to show you, as a guide :

I peeled 3 medium sized Maris Piper

potatoes, weighing 250-270g each and cut into

a total of 16 roasties (4 to 6 depending on size of

potato) and roasted for 20 minutes in a

pre-heated oven 180fan/200c/Gas 6, then turned

and repeated. It doesn't matter that there's a variation

in colour

I'd already used half of the roasties to serve with

the Tarragon Quorn fillets supper earlier in the week

and set aside, wrapped in foil and fridged the remaining

half to “twice cook” to serve with my version of

the fish, chips and peas

The set aside half of the part roasted potatoes – 8

cut vertically gave me 22 “mini”

roasties ready to “twice cook”

Twice cooked roasties, ready to serve with the cod loin!

The cod loin and the potatoes will take 20 minutes to finish – turn the cod and the potatoes after 10 minutes. All that remains is to decide what sort of “pea” mood you're in and cook to coincide – enjoy!

It's definitely worth planning for “deliberate leftovers” - why make work for yourself!

The “takeaway” ideas up next ...