Leftover cabbage?

After St. Patrick's Day was over I had a half a head of cabbage staring at me every time I opened the fridge.  Does this happen to you too?  It's my constant cabbage complaint.  There's always too much.  I always need to plan for 2 cabbage dishes everytime I pick up a head.

For some reason, St. Patrick's Day always starts slaw season for me.  Probably because Passover follows closely on it's heels.  And slaws are fantastic snacks for during Passover.  Last year I slawed up almost every fruit and vegetable I could get my hands on - mixing them together, tossing them with vinegar.

While last year led to the discovery that I love slaw in all forms, it's the traditional cabbage slaw I'm writing about today.  According to Wikipedia, the term "Coleslaw" is an Anglicisation of the Dutch term "koolsla" referring to cabbage salad.  Wikipedia also notes that coleslaw is originally an Irish dish.

An Irish dish to use up leftover cabbage from colcannon?  Sounds like a winner to me!  I don't like mayonnaise, so this coleslaw doesn't use it.  Instead, it relies on a boiled salad dressing - fairly light and unassuming, which is just perfect to let the tangy vinegar shine through. 

Coleslaw

1/2 head of cabbage

 3/4 Tbsp flour

1/2 tsp dry mustard

1/2 Tbsp sugar

1 egg yolk, slightly beaten

cayenne pepper

3/4Tbsp butter, melted

1/4 cup milk

2 Tbsp vinegar

salt

1/2 tsp celery seed

1.  Place the cabbage in a bowl of cold water and refrigerate 1 hour.
2. Make the dressing: Combine flour, mustard, and sugar in a pan.  
3. Slowly add the egg yolks, a sprinkle of cayenne, melted butter, milk, and vinegar.  
4. Heat, stirring constantly until thickened and smooth. Remove from heat and add salt to taste.
5. Drain the cabbage, shred, and toss with the dressing and celery seed.