Last week I hosted dinner for neighbors and served the last of my previous cabbage in a coleslaw with chipotle-honey dressing. I chopped the cabbage in the food processor to make small (maybe 1/4-inch?) chunks instead of shreds. That’s something I learned from the guys who own The Po’Boy Shop on Clairmont. We are running their coleslaw recipe in the AJC in a few weeks and they firmly believe that small diced cabbage is the key to really excellent slaw. Their version has a mayo/vinegar/sugar dressing, but next week the AJC will publish my feature on what to do with some of those leftover condiments in your refrigerator and pantry. I made this chipotle-honey vinaigrette for the story and since I needed to use it up, I poured it over the cabbage (and a few chopped carrots). To a person, everyone at the table raved about it. I thought those who aren’t fans of smoky heat would leave it on their plates, but they ate it all. It’s sort of a recipe but you really have to taste it and adjust every single ingredient to suit your palate. I wanted more honey in mine.
Ingredients:
3/4 cup vegetable oil 6 tablespoons red wine vinegar 3 tablespoons honey or maple syrup 2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce 2 garlic cloves
Preparation:
In the jar of a blender, combine vegetable oil, red wine vinegar, honey or maple syrup, chipotle peppers in adobo sauce and garlic cloves. Process until smooth and taste for seasoning adding salt and pepper as needed. Store finished dressing in a covered container for up to 3 days. No need to refrigerate.