Lemon Coleslaw

Coleslaw is a must for BBQ dinner. With tender meat and sweet, tangy sauce, good crunchy coleslaw yields wonderful texture and flavor in your mouth. This was our Sunday dinner menu:

Pork BBQ with Tangy Sauce
Three-Bean Casserole
Lemon Cole Slaw
Cheese Biscuits
Garden Salad with Homemade Ranch Dressing
Ice Cream Sundae

I have had plenty of Boston butts in my life but never had to chop one, never mind ten of them, 8 to 9 pounds each! With a giant cleaver in my hand, I asked, "Now what?". My practical friend, Dennis, who was visiting the kitchen said, "Just hack away, that's what Tim does." Tim is our church's renowned BBQ & Fish fry master.

With this encouragement, I took off the fat cap, and shoulder blade bone (yes, Butt is actually a shoulder of a pig), and gave it a timid whack. After few minutes though, I got in a rhythm and watch out, I was hacking away like a true Master Boston Butt Chopper! I must say, that was a great stress reliever and more fun than I could handle! And I got the sore shoulder to prove it.

Back to our slaw....

To avoid watery coleslaw, sliced cabbages must be salted first to extract some of the water. This is how my native Korean dish, Kim Chi is usually made. Salting the vegetables gives a wonderful crunch to cabbages.

I took a traditional creamy Cole Slaw recipe but added fresh lemon zest, minced shallots, and plenty of fresh parsley, which added so much flavor and colors!

1 head green cabbage (2 pounds)
Salt

1/2 teaspoon caraway seeds (optional)
1/2 cup mayo (Hellmann's)
2 Tablespoons white vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon sugar
1 Tablespoon, grated lemon zest
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1 small shallot, minced, about 2 tablespoon
2 Tablespoon, minced parsley
Salt and Pepper to taste

2 carrots, peeled, julienned very thinly, plus optional for color:
1/4 head of purple cabbage (salted & rinsed),
Tricolor peppers, thinly sliced
green onions, thinly sliced

Instructions

1. Toss shredded cabbage and 1 teaspoon salt in colander or large mesh strainer set over medium bowl. Let stand until cabbage wilts, at least 1 hour or up to 4 hours. Rinse cabbage under cold running water. Press, but do not squeeze, to drain; pat dry with paper towels. Place wilted cabbage and carrot in large bowl.

2. Stir mayonnaise, vinegar, shallot, parsley, lemon juice, sugar, mustard, lemon zest, together in small bowl. Pour dressing over cabbage, carrots, parsley and toss to combine; salt and pepper to taste; refrigerate until chilled, about 1 hour for flavors to blend. Can be made a day ahead.

Note: I omitted caraway seeds since most of the children in my church, including my own, do not like the flavor.