Wilma's Coleslaw

 When asked for her recipe, Wilma said: There is no recipe, you just put it together.

Bags of shredded cabbage do not work. You must thinly slice fresh cabbage. That is half of a small head of cabbage in. the photo - 3-4 cups. 4-5 scallions sliced and I like to halve them lengthwise before slicing then so that they are smaller than just sliced discs and disappear into the slaw.

You must bruise the cabbage. I pound it with a meat pounder. If you do not have one you can substitute with something heavy with a flat bottom like a big round bottle of something or a can of something. Some people bruise their cabbage by squeezing it by hand really hard.  I prefer pounding. You can put the cabbage in a bowl to pound it. I like having it the way it is in the photo because it gives me a good feel for how much salt and pepper - it's the amount you would use if you were seasoning something on a plate. 

Seasoning is a matter of taste. So is the dressing. 

The dressing is just sugar, vinegar and Hellman's. Stir the sugar and vinegar together until the sugar dissolves which takes longer than you would prefer - but eventually it does dissolve. For the amount shown in the photos I added a 1/2 c. of Hellmans. 

Sugar is not quite dissolved. Keep stirring.

Any vinegar will work. Rice vinegar is nice and mild if you keep it on hand. Taste the dressing and if it is too acidic - just add more sugar. It's OK to add sugar after the salad is mixed - without dissolving the sugar. If you have powdered sugar on hand, it works well to adjust after the salad is mixed.

Stir in the Hellman's until it is smooth. If you have a lemon - a tablespoon of fresh lemon is nice, but not essential. If you have heavy cream on hand - it's a welcome addition - a tablespoon or two. Grated carrots are fine to add, if you like a little color. The only other addition to even consider is dill. But, the basic recipe is just fine.

It's nice to let it sit in the fridge for an hour or two before serving...  but that's not essential. If it does sit for a while, taste it before serving. It might need a little more salt.