Crack Slaw

It seems a little crack-like that I'm sitting here at midnight in a quiet, quiet house writing to you about this unbelievably delightful dish that is Crack Slaw. I've just come over the mountains and through the woods to my Mother's home, it's my Dad's too, he's the reason we're really here this weekend. It's just that my Mother's home oozes her personality and touch so I think of it as mostly hers. The house is quiet tonight. All of it's inhabitants are peacefully sleeping. I peeked in on my sister and nephew Charlie in the other guest room, heavy sighs of deep breathing swirled through the dark black air. I just had to turn on the nearby restroom light so I could look for the tiny and very precious silhouette of my dear little Charles! What a treasure that little boy is. I should be sleeping too, but my husband and I only arrived here about an hour ago and while my late-night shower in a nicer bathroom than my usual (I have a thing for nice bathrooms) was terribly relaxing I'm just not ready to turn in. Outside, it's quite enchanting as well, there is a light, rainy breeze. And it's the kind of early summer breeze where you can't tell if the air is more warm or more cool. It's a bit beguiling. So, it seems like the perfect opportunity to come and tell you about something I've been meaning to share with you for over a year. Not too mention that I'm a wee (possibly more than a wee) behind in blogging.

Coleslaw is one of those dishes that we've all experienced our whole lives but can sometimes be quite boring and under appreciated. It's often made poorly: way too much mayonnaise if it's the creamy variety, under seasoned, or just plain uninspired! It's one of those dishes you could just toss easily together with very little thought or care. But why would you? It's such a necessary fresh and crunchy component to so many foods. I completely adore it on top of a salty, snappy hot dog. How about nestled between a warm, buttery bun and lots of BBQ pulled pork? It's also just lovely beside fried chicken or other rich, flavorful meats. Ina made a slaw once on her show that was gorgeous, I've never forgotten it and I've never made it either. I will though. She used mainly the usual suspect ingredients but it seems like she added something very green, I don't know if they were collards or kale? But she shredded them in such a way that the stands were very long and rather unwieldy and vibrantly colored. This slaw is of the Asian-flare I know, I know. We've all had the cabbage-ramen noodle concoction in a sweet, balanced dressing. But this version is different. It's out-of-control. It's best within the first few minutes it's made and in those first few minutes I guarantee that you cannot even begin to shovel it in fast enough. It's perfection for the mouth. No joke. You'll see. I'm not going to rattle on about it any further. I just really, really suggest you make it. Soon.

I have only a couple of things to stress about this recipe. The first is, you HAVE to let the nut mixture cool completely before adding it to the cabbage. Otherwise you can imagine what will happen, it will quickly heat and wilt the cabbage and that will totally take away from the crack effect. The other thing is that you really do have to eat this right away. It's best when the cabbage and noodles and everything else is super, super crunchy! I stumbled across the recipe at East Village Kitchen.

Crack Slaw

1 14 oz. bag of coleslaw mix

5 scallions, sliced on the diagonal

3 T. butter

2 T. sesame seeds

1 C. sliced almonds

1 package ramen noodles, crushed, don't use seasoning packet

Dressing:

1/2 C. vegetable oil (I love Wesson's)

1/4 C. sugar, or less to taste

2 T. soy sauce

Combine the coleslaw mix and scallions. Over medium heat, melt the butter. Add noodles, sesame seeds, and almonds. Stir often and heat until mixture is light and golden brown. Remove and cool completely. Stir up dressing ingredients and then combine with cooled nut mixture and vegetables. Stir quickly, serve up quickly, and eat quickly! Your fellow diners will adore it and it will become part of your recipe world!

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Enjoy it, let me know if you love it as much as I do! I see a Rihanna-covered Elle lying on the carpet nearby, might have to thumb through it and then it's finally to bed for me!