ShareThisDear Lynne: Our tradition for Lent is Friday-night fish fries. I am looking for a great potato salad or coleslaw to bring on Friday night. Can you help? -- Amy in Grand Rapids
Dear Amy: Absolutely, I can help, and let's elect coleslaw as your solution. The spice and citrus make this particular slaw a good foil for fried fish, not to mention what it can do for a sandwich, or anything grilled.
Serve it right after you've blended in the cabbage for a crunchy effect, or let it marinate overnight in the refrigerator and drain away most of the slaw's liquid to get more of the character of the seasonings.
Either way, this salad comes together fairly fast. Use a food processor with the steel blade to make the dressing, leave the dressing in the bowl and switch to the slicing blade to cut the cabbage and onion directly into it. Tip it all into a bowl and toss.
BUTTERMILK-GARLIC SLAW WITH SMOKY PAPRIKA
Serves 6 to 8
Anticipate 15 to 20 minutes prep time, and know the slaw keeps in the refrigerator up to 3 days.
Cook to Cook: You can nudge even more flavor from spices if you warm them very gently to open up their fragrances before adding them to a raw dish like a dressing. In this recipe we do it with the paprika or chile.
Buttermilk-Garlic Dressing with Smoky Paprika:
2 generous teaspoons smoked mild Spanish paprika, or ground Ancho chile
2 tablespoons good-tasting extra-virgin olive oil
Juice of 2 large limes
4 large garlic cloves, peeled
2/3 cup mayonnaise (do not use low-fat)
1-1/3 cups buttermilk
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Coleslaw:
1 green cabbage (about 2-1/4 pounds)
1 medium red onion, peeled and halved
Garnish:
1/3 cup fresh coriander or parsley leaves
Open up the flavor of the paprika or Ancho chile by briefly warming it in the olive oil. Use a small skillet, medium heat, and cook only long enough to have some fragrance -- 30 seconds to 1 minute. Set aside.
Make the dressing: Fit a food processor with the flat steel blade and turn it on. Pour in the lime juice and drop in the garlic. Process 3 seconds. Turn off machine, scrape down the side of the bowl and add the mayonnaise, buttermilk and the warmed olive oil with the paprika or chile. Process another 2 seconds. Taste for seasoning, adding salt and pepper as needed.
Remove the flat blade and add thin-slicing blade. Slice the cabbage and onion into the dressing. Scrape everything into a serving bowl or storage container and refrigerate overnight if desired.
To serve the coleslaw, drain off any excess liquid, turn the coleslaw into a bowl, taste for seasoning and scatter with the coriander or parsley leaves. Serve cool, but not ice-cold.
Dear Lynne: My first party was a dud. The roast and sides that I spent days working on didn't get eaten, and people pretty much didn't move all night. How do I get mingling going? -- Gillian from Boston
Dear Gillian: If it helps at all, know that the first party my husband and I gave was such a disaster that I kept praying for something that would give me an excuse to leave.
There are a few things that could help.
First, serve only foods easily eaten with a fork, or with fingers in two bites. Forget anything in large pieces, anything drippy or anything too hot to handle. And if a recipe ends with "serve immediately," do not go near it with a 10-foot pole. Do all the cooking ahead, and have pitcher drinks you do in advance. Also remember that "sturdy" is the operative word for dishes, whether they be china, paper or plastic.
Additionally, have a tag line with each introduction. "Jen, this is Tim. I think you both are into '50s music." Any shred of common ground could kick off conversations.
Also, keep people moving. Moving around breeds mingling. Always have more people than chairs. Set up food and drinks in different parts of the room, or the house, instead of in one place. Ask shy guests to help you out with serving, picking up and introductions.
Finally, try to relax. You know the old bit about if you are having a good time, so will everyone else? Well, it's mostly true, but do keep your host antenna up -- keep an eye out for anyone who's cornered by a nonstop talker, or who seems lonely.
(Lynne Rossetto Kasper hosts "The Splendid Table," American Public Media's weekly national show for people who love to eat, and is the co-author of "The Splendid Table's How to Eat Supper: Recipes, Stories, and Opinions." Ask questions and find Lynne, recipes and station listings at www.splendidtable.org or 800-537-5252.)
THE SPLENDID TABLE(R)'S HOW TO EAT SUPPER
