FOOD: Impress with less fuss

It’s summertime and everyone’s buzzing, or grooving, depending on what century you were born in!
Well, we didn’t kill anyone feeding them at the recent wedding we cooked at. We served out over 100 portions in a backyard with one electrical cable and no running water, not bad. I learnt that when cooking for such numbers, the cooking is the easy part!
Cooking the foods on Thursday and Friday was well enjoyable. It was the logistical nightmare of heating it up, serving it out, and washing it down, that nearly broke us. Many hands make light work my mother always said, and we proved it right there!
So now we are entertaining friends and visitors for these months. The focus will be on practicality and keeping it simple, rather than ‘cordon bleu’ or ‘exceptional cook’ cooking, named after the prestigious blue sash or ribbon worn by the Chevaliers du Saint-Esprit – the highest order of knighthood under the Bourbon kings.
Here a coleslaw variant to make with ease and impress on guests for summer days and afternoons:

Sweet and sour slaw
This vibrant-looking slaw can be prepared up to two hours in advance of lunch or afternoon dishes and has a touch more vibrant flavours than our standard mayonnaise slaws. It’s a crunchy blend with red cabbage and colourful peppers.

What you need
1 red cabbage halved
2 red peppers, centres and seeds removed
1 yellow pepper, centre and seeds removed
1 orange pepper, centre and seeds removed
5 spring onions, trimmed
1 long red chilli limes
250ml pineapple juice
2 tsp toasted sesame oil
2 tsp maple syrup
100g fresh coriander
Seasoning

What you do
Thinly shred the red cabbage into a big enough bowl. Slice the spring onions into inch-long pieces, then slice down the middle into shreds, this releases all the flavour around the salad mix. Wash the peppers and slice thinly; take your time here to get it right with a good knife. Add to the cabbage bowl. Finely chop the long red chilli and coriander, add to bowl, holding back a tablespoon of chopped coriander for the end.
In a smaller mixing jug, add the pineapple juice and zest and juice of one lime, as well as the juice of the second lime. Give a good sprinkle of sea salt, add sesame oil and maple syrup, whisk well and add to the cabbage bowl, and toss.
Leave for anywhere between 15 minutes and two hours prior to serving. Sprinkle reserved coriander just before serving.
The salad will keep well in a fridge covered with tight seal, but the vegetables will soften over time.

Redmond and Sandra Cabot live in Lanmore, outside Westport, with their children, Penny and Louis. Fresh, seasonal foods are their passion – shopping at country markets, growing their own veg and producing their own dips and sauces and for sale.