A Slew of Slaw — Dale Knows How To Host

One of Dad and Mom’s author photos from Holy Smoke, where I got the miscellaneous slaw recipes.

My personal Holy Smoke inscription. Ha ha.

So, rock me mama like a wagon wheel
Rock me mama any way you feel
Hey... mama rock me
Yeah, rock me mama like the wind and the rain
Rock me mama like a southbound train
Hey... mama rock me

Walkin' to the south out of Roanoke
I caught a trucker out of Philly, had a nice long toke
But he's a-headin' west from the Cumberland Gap
To Johnson City, Tennessee

Oh, “Wagon Wheel”, the unofficial North Carolina feel-good anthem! I’m sure you know it even if you think you don’t. With its simple chord progression and catchy chorus, it’s been sung around every campfire… like ever. It was written by Bob Dylan and Ketch Secor of the Old Crow Medicine Show (their version is kind of the standard) and was later recorded by none other than HOOTIE himself, Darius Rucker. Now, who would have an issue with our beloved “Wagon Wheel”?! Dale Reed, that’s who!

You see Mom was one for facts. The song name checks the Cumberland Gap, saying that Johnson City is West of it. Growing up in Kingsport, just 24 miles Northwest of Johnson City, Mom knew damn well that it was East of the Cumberland Gap. And she let us know it. I can never hear “Wagon Wheel” without hearing Mom’s voice saying, “that is WRONG!”. Mom, sometimes to her detriment, had strong ideas of what was right and wrong. Take grammar, for instance. It was impossible to watch TV with her without being subjected to oral edits of the commercials. The mix-up of “less” and “fewer” particularly pained her. This has trickled down to me. In fact, I just corrected my husband last night. (Poor Chris, I know it’s annoying.) Once when I was interviewing for a job at a museum they asked if I had writing skills. I’d never formally written for work, just gallery correspondence and such, but I said, “well, I know the difference between less and fewer”. My future boss proclaimed, “you’re hired!”.

This post was going to be about Mom’s little idiosyncrasies, but we lost a good friend to cancer recently, Tommy Edwards, and I’d like to talk about him instead. Mom’s quirks can wait. Well, Mom actually factors into this story because she’s the one who introduced me to Tommy and his wife, Cindy, who have a cool antique shop in Pittsboro, NC. I’m not sure why Mom first took me there in high school, maybe we were just killing time on a Saturday afternoon, but this visit sure fueled a collecting fire in me! Tommy and Cindy were so kind to me. They noted my interest in Mid-Century housewares and would put stuff away for me. I think my first purchase was a set of Harlequin teacups and saucers. This was followed by a 30s jet bead necklace, a Victorian mirror, two enamel top kitchen tables, and a cool kind of vintage hospital bed frame. Later, they procured some fab chairs for me that had come from a speakeasy in New Orleans. I still have all of these items.
Tommy and Cindy’s personal interest lies in Stickley furniture and they have an amazing collection themselves. When I did a grad program in American Decorative Arts at Sotheby’s, I remember coming home and talking to Tommy about it. He asked me to weigh in on a painting he had in the shop. It was so flattering to be taken seriously and it was one of the first times I actually felt like an adult. (Not that I had any idea about that painting. Ha ha. I was winging it for sure.)

Tommy was such an interesting and generous man. In addition to his collecting, he was a world class bluegrass guitarist and also a dedicated teacher. You can read more about him here. Once when I was in their store, a member of the Squirrel Nut Zippers came running in to show Tommy and Cindy their recent gold record. Just as Tommy nurtured my interest in collecting, he helped a lot of younger musicians and apparently this guy was one of them. Music fans will know Tommy as the leader of the Bluegrass Experience, a band I certainly grew up with. His internationally acclaimed band played every good pig pickin’ we went to and had a standing Thursday gig at the notorious Cat’s Cradle for 9 years running. I remember getting off of a plane a few years ago and driving straight to the Q-Shack in Durham to catch one of Tommy’s sets. Now, that’s an NC welcome home if ever there was one! Tommy and Cindy were great friends to my parents. When my Mom died, Tommy learned of Mom’s desire to have the song “Angel Band” sung during the burial. He generously offered to play it on guitar at the service. He also recorded a version of him singing it so *she* could see it before she died, click here. So generous! And, he dedicated a recorded version of it to Mom on his weekly radio show. He gave us the heads-up in advance and we listened from her room at the nursing home. What a sweetheart. Good ones attract good ones and now we’ve lost both Mom AND Tommy. I can’t play guitar worth a damn to honor him like he honored my mom, but I’m happy I can share some memories of this wonderful man.

So, for today’s recipe, I thought I would post something innately Carolinian. Something that, as mainly a vegetarian, I’ve spent a lot of time eating. Cole Slaw! Please throw your high falutin ways out the window and just accept the ketchup and sugar in the recipe. It’s delicious and perfect atop a pulled pork sandwich.

There’s a whole chapter about slaw in my parents’ book, Holy Smoke. I’ve picked a few favorites.

LEXINGTON BARBECUE SLAW
Serves 8-10

1 medium head cabbage, chopped (you can use a food processor)
1 Tbsp cider vinegar
4 Tbsp ketchup
3 Tbsp sugar
Dash Texas Pete (a Tar Heel slaw deserves a Tar Heel hot sauce)
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp salt

Mix the dressing ingredients and toss with the cabbage. Like all slaws, this one is better if refrigerated for several hours.

For fancier folk, try James Beard award winning chef Bill Neal’s take on slaw:

CROOKS’S CORNER UPTOWN PIEDMONT SLAW
Serves 8-10

1 small head cabbage, finely chopped
14 1/2 ounce can tomatoes, diced
1/2 bell pepper, chopped
3 ounce jar pimientos, drained and chopped
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 Tbsp hot sauce
1/8 tsp black pepper
3/4 tsp salt

Combine the tomatoes, bell pepper, and pimientos in a blender or food processor and process for a few seconds until chopped finely but not mushy. Mix all dressing ingredients, toss with the cabbage, and chill for at least 1/2 hour before serving.

And, if you are asking, “Where’s the Mayo?!” (something I ask all of the time), here’s one with mayo. You need a bit of Lexington BBQ sauce (called dip) to mix in. I have a recipe for a gargantuan amount, which I’ll post below, but you will probably want to do the math and reduce it if you aren’t cooking a whole hog.

PIEDMONT SLAW WITH MAYONNAISE
Serves 8 - 10

A head cabbage, chopped
2 cups mayonnaise or whipped salad dressing (Duke’s!)
2 Tbsp vinegar
2 tsp ketchup
2 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
Lexington-style dip to taste. (See below)

Mix the mayonnaise, vinegar, ketchup, sugar, salt, and dip. Toss lightly with the cabbage and refrigerate.

”LEXINGTON BARBECUE” DIP (SAUCE)

3 quarts white vinegar
1 quart water
5 1/3 cups ketchup
1/2 cup sugar
1 Tbsp crushed red pepper
4 tsp cayenne
4 tsp black pepper
3 Tbsp salt

Combine the ingredients in a saucepan and simmer for 15 minutes. Bring to a boil, then let cool.

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