The food is different

Riorose ask me to give you my recipes for potato salad and cole slaw that I made for the churrasco last week. That request creates a big problem for me and for you. I have been cooking since the summer I was 14 - a long, long, LONG time - and I don't use recipes. But let me see if I can give you enough information that you can try. This time the cole slaw was grated cabbage - about one half a head or 4 cups (please remember my disclaimer), one large stalk finely chopped celery, one finely chopped apple (either sweat or tart work) and +- a cup of raisins. I have been known to add if I have in the refrigerator walnuts, seedless grapes, chopped sweet onion, chopped tangerine or orange - just use the grated cabbage as a base and put in whatever flavor you feel like that day. (I personally would not put more than three additional ingredients cause then you can't taste any of them and the cabbage should be dominant.) I lightly salt all of this and set aside. Then I make the sauce in a separate bowl. 1/3 cup (light) mayo, 1/4 vinegar (I prefer apple), and about 2 or 3 tablespoons of sugar. Now you have to be comfortable in the kitchen and do as I say - dip you little finger in the sauce and test it. It should have a sweet tart taste - add more vinegar or sugar to taste. Add to the cabbage mixture, cover and set in refrigerator to chill - serve soon, do not make it more that two hours in advance because the slaw will get an acid taste after 4 hours or so - best eaten when fresh and crisp. Sometimes I make the cabbage mixture without the salt in the morning and set covered in the refridg until I am ready to serve then add the salt and mayo mixture right before setting on the table.

The potato salad is well potato salad - but I don't put just mayo on it, I make a mixture of mayo, vinegar, sugar and mustard. Boil the potatoes in the skins in salted water until nice and soft, when cool, peal, dice into a large bowl, add (what you have available) chopped tomato, chopped cucumber, chopped onion and green pepper, and chopped celery, and hard boiled eggs. (six/seven medium potatoes to 9-12 eggs) I try to make the chopped and diced look about the same size but not too tiny [think about eating a fork full which should fit nicely in your mouth and the pieces are small enough to have some potato, some egg and a little celery and onion] and I feel the potatoes, egg, onion and celery are required. Enough of the mayo mixture should be added to make the potato mixture creamy and well held together and has somewhat a deviled egg taste - I love it.

Ginger V