Why is it that picnic food, i.e. summer food, in this country is so often drowning in a quagmire of mayo? Two mainstays of these white-washed foods are coleslaw, and potato salad, two delicious foods in their own right. Who doesn’t love a potato, and how can you object to mounds of feathery chopped cabbage? But whenever I spot these down-home delicacies at a picnic, they are baking in the sun, getting that lovely yellowish, leathery skin on top. Aesthetically it leaves a bit to be desired, and immediately gets me thinking about airborne bacteria. E-coli anyone?

I found a way around this problem by making a German-style potato salad, tossed in a Dijon vinaigrette with crumbled bacon; but coleslaw remained intractable. It had been years since I had enjoyed more than a bite or two of the stuff, and all of the mayonnaise alternatives seemed a little plain. But then I found Alice’s recipe, you know, Alice Waters, and all became right in my culinary world. Maybe it is because I am a California girl at heart, or maybe it is just Ms. Waters’s sensibility– but this coleslaw was perfect for me and my mayo-hating ways.

Made with flavors from the Southwest– red onion, cilantro, lime juice, and jalapeno, the recipe reads like a dictum of assertive tastes. But combined, and left to meld and mellow, each flavor plays beautifully off of the next, developing into a crunchy, warmly spicy, coleslaw. There are not enough positive adjectives to describe this slaw– it has converted me! Thank you Alice.

Alice Waters’s Coleslaw
from New York Times Magazine

serves 8-12

1 medium green cabbage, about 3 pounds
1/2 small red onion, cut in half through the stem, sliced thinly
1 cup loosely packed fresh cilantro leaves, coarsely chopped
1 jalapeno, seeded, and minced
1/4-1/3 cup olive oil
3-4 tablespoons lime juice
3-4 tablespoons red wine vinegar
salt
pepper
large pinch of sugar

Quarter the cabbage and core. Cut each quarter crosswise in half, then finely shred. Place the cabbage in a very large bowl or pot. You should have about 5 1/2 quarts. Add the onion, cilantro, and jalapeno; toss to mix. Sprinkle with oil, lime juice, vinegar, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon of pepper, and sugar. Toss to coat.

Let the slaw sit for 1 hour, tossing occasionally. Drain. Taste and adjust seasoning. Wait at least another hour before serving at room temperature.

* I just used cilantro leaves from one large bunch, and I didn’t have any red wine vinegar, so I substituted white wine vinegar, and it was still delicious.