Most of us know chef Andrew Zimmern for his cooking and food travel shows and his cookbooks (the newest, The Blue Food Cookbook, drops this fall), but take all those accomplishments away and he’s still got a genuine love for really good food.
Parade recently had the opportunity to chat with the four-time James Beard and Emmy award-winning chef about his recent partnership with Midwest food chain Casey’s, where he waxed poetic about gas station food, especially Casey’s pizza. “Because when it’s done right, it’s amazing,” he tells Parade.
And this appreciation doesn’t come out of the blue. As a chef and entrepreneur, Zimmern is on the road a lot, so he knows a thing (or 20) about gas station food. As we chatted about Casey’s new BBQ Brisket Pizza, which Zimmern says should be part of your summer eating bucket list, we also talked about pizza pairings. With this pie, Zimmern suggests a scoop of slaw. But not just any slaw, his Chopped Coleslaw.
With Memorial Day coming up and backyard barbecues on our minds, we dug in a little deeper with Zimmern to find out what’s so great about this particular slaw. Here’s what you need to know.
Related: The Best Chef-Approved Midwestern Pizza Comes…From This Gas Station? (Exclusive)
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Why Coleslaw Is the Perfect Barbecue Side, According to Andrew Zimmern
“Meat is rich,” explains Zimmern. “I want to cut through all of that with highly acidic foods.” According to Zimmern, those foods are “salads with great vinaigrettes–tomato salad with cheese, or a good coleslaw.” More specifically, Zimmern is a fan of vinegar-based North Carolina-style coleslaw. “I chop mine, and it’s got quite a bit of apple cider vinegar in there, which is absolutely primo for that [Casey’s BBQ Brisket Pizza] or barbecue of any kind.”
Related: How to Make the Best-Ever Creamy Coleslaw, According to Chef Andrew Zimmern (And His Mom)
How to Make Andrew Zimmern’s Chopped Coleslaw
You can find the recipe for Zimmern’s chopped coleslaw on his website, but we’ll give you a quick breakdown of how to make it.
Start by making the dressing, which is a simple mixture of mayo, sugar, pickle relish, spicy apple cider vinegar, celery seeds and toasted fennel seeds. The spicy vinegar (you can use a mix of vinegar and hot sauce, if you can’t find spicy vinegar) adds some tang and zip to the dressing and toasting the fennel seeds really amps up their flavor. Season the dressing with salt and pepper, then stick it in the fridge while you prep the veggies.
For the veggies, it’s important that everything is about the same size, so if you have a food processor, this is the time to bust it out. Cut a head of green cabbage into quarters and shred it using the food processor. Do the same thing with a few large carrots. Toss the shredded cabbage and carrots with some minced red onion, then mix in the dressing. Taste the slaw, adjust the seasoning as needed, then put the slaw in the fridge for six hours, which will give the flavors time to meld. Serve with your favorite cookout foods—or on top of a slice of Casey’s pizza.
Related: Dolly Parton’s Secret Ingredient for the Best-Ever Coleslaw
