Shrimp with Fennel Cream

If it weren't for Pinterest, I'd never have found Susy's blog. So while it's easy to lose track of time trolling through Pinterest (which I did while watching football playoffs Sunday), there is one major plus: discovering lovely blogs. And this one definitely qualifies....super recipes, beautifully photographed, but you do need to translate it from the Italian. 

While I've never been a great fan of raw fennel in a salad, I do love it roasted and it's on my menu frequently. Susy steams it with potato to make this fennel cream and I had some fresh shrimp, so topped the cream with those rather than the fish she used. It's a simple dish, with lots of flavor and I hope you'll try it. Visit Susy as well, you'll come away with some super recipes and some food styling ideas.

Shrimp with Fennel Cream
Adapted from  ricotta....che passione

Ingredients:
600g fennel already cleaned   (21 ounces)
500g potatoes (17 ounces)
shrimp, scallops or your favorite fish 
a clove of garlic 
grated rind of one lemon 
chopped chives and parsley 
2-3 tablespoons half and half or milk 
salt 
pepper 

olive oil 
balsamic vinegar (optional)

Method:
Peel the potatoes, cut into cubes and steam together with the sliced fennel, until both are tender. Puree the vegetables and place them in a saucepan. Add the milk, a tablespoon of olive oil, salt to taste and cook for a few minutes.
Place the shrimp in a hot pan with a little olive oil and butter and add the garlic and cook over high heat. When done, add salt, the chopped herbs and lemon rind. If you want to, you can also add some balsamic vinegar to your shrimp/fish. 

Divide the cream into bowls, place the shrimp on top and finish with a sprinkling of pepper and a drizzle of olive oil. 

Robert May's Poached Salmon with Oranges and Red Wine

Quite some time ago, while watching the Two Fat Ladies cooking series reruns, I was intrigued by a salmon recipe one of them made, attributed to Robert May. If you're familiar with their series, it was in Episode Two, Season Two, the Vintage motorcycle rally in Hesket, New Market. I've made the dish many times since and thought to share it with you today.

Robert May was born in 1588 and was an English Chef who trained in France. His father was also a chef and May was sent to Paris at the age of 10, for 5 years, to train as a chef. This was probably due to the fact that he was catholic and his parents wanted to protect him from the unrest in England at the time. After May served an apprenticeship in London, he came back to work for his father, one of several chefs doing so. Following that, Robert moved around the country serving in other "suitable" (meaning aristocratic and Catholic) households, one of which was  Sir Anthony Browne, Viscount Montague, England’s Ambassador to Rome and a Knight of The Garter. His country estate was Cowdray House, west Sussex. 
During the period of the English Civil War, May began work on his book, The Accomplisht Cook, though it was not published until the year of Charles II's restoration (1660), by which time Robert May was already 72 years of age. His cookbook was an extraordinary thing at the time as chefs jealously guarded their secrets and this was the first substantial recipe book to be published in England. Over the following years Robert May updated the book, with the 1665 edition (about the fifth) being the final one that he edited himself. Robert May died in his 80s in 1664/1665. 

Deana, from Long Past Remembered, has several posts on Robert May and his recipes. And if you know Deana, you know she's the dedicated authority on all chefs and recipes past. She'll have much more detailed information on Robert May. Be sure to check out at least one of her posts HERE. 

May's poached salmon dish is quite perfect, the orange a marvelous foil for the salmon and it's made with only two ingredients, (aside from the salmon) which you probably have in your pantry already. The only pesky thing is peeling and slicing the oranges. :) So as a shortcut, if you're cooking for one or two, just use the wine and orange juice and save the orange slices as a presentation feature when you have company. You'll notice very few measurements here as The Two Fat Ladies were annoyingly vague in that department, although I do think they put out a cookbook at the time. You'll have to do some guessing, depending on how much salmon you use. This particular recipe serves two. 

BTW: Not the first time I've posted something from The Two Fat Ladies series (see Spatchcocked Game Hens) and we love both recipes.

Robert May's Poached Salmon in Oranges and Red Wine
Seen on Two Fat Ladies, Season Two, Episode Two

Ingredients:

salmon fillet

orange slices (blood oranges would be wonderful)

3/4 cup orange juice

3/4 cup good quality red wine

freshly grated nutmeg (don't omit!)

Salt and pepper

Method:

Peel the oranges and slice. Place a layer in a skillet or pan and lay the salmon on top. Lay more orange slices around the the salmon and then add salt, pepper and nutmeg to the very top of the salmon. Finish by topping with remaining orange slices. Pour orange juice over the top and then red wine.

Place skillet on the stove, cover, and poach for about 10 or 15 minutes. Watch carefully. Much depends on the size of your salmon. Nothing is worse than overcooked fish!

Caramelized Scallops with Strawberry Salsa

                                                          ****************************************************

Scallops are on my menu frequently so I'm always searching for new ways to serve them. I loved the idea of a strawberry salsa and while most of the recipes I've found have some heat via jalapeño peppers, this one didn't. I really didn't want the strawberries to be overpowered, although there's no reason you can't add peppers if you prefer. The flavor balance of the scallops and salsa is near perfect as far as I'm concerned. The ease of cooking, the color and presentation make this a dish to delight guests, but is simple enough for two. The salsa was a snap; I'll be using it on fish frequently from now on.

Caramelized Scallops with Strawberry Salsa
From Food 52, by Minimally Invasive

This dish serves 2.

Ingredients:

2 handfuls ripe strawberries, small dice

1/2 medium shallot, minced

2 tablespoons arugula and basil, minced

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1/2 pound large scallops, tough membrane removed

 salt & pepper, to taste

1 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon olive oil

a few leaves of arugula & basil chiffonade

Method:

Mix strawberries, shallot, vinegar and minced arugula and basil in a small bowl. Add salt and pepper to taste. Adjust seasoning till you get a nice balance between sweet and sour. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Heat butter and olive oil in skillet over medium-high heat. Dry and season the scallops with salt and pepper. Add the scallops to the skillet and cook, not turning, for about 3 minutes, or until you see the white/cooked portion of the scallop rise about halfway up the side. Flip scallops and cook for another minute or two, until cooked through. 

Remove scallops to serving plate. Top each scallop with a spoonful of the salsa and garnish with ribbons of basil and arugula. 

50 Women Game Changers in Food: #15, Sheila Lukins and Julee Rosso

My copy of Silver Palate has seen better days, but that's always the way to find a favorite recipe....look for the dirty pages! There are quite a few of those in this wildly popular cookbook by Sheila Lukins and Julee Rosso with Michael McLaughlin. Between them, Lukins, Rosso and McLaughlin introduced many Americans to French, Southern and Eastern European cooking techniques and ingredients. 

In the 1970s, after Lukins had spent some time at the Cordon Bleu in London and had worked with chefs in France, she returned the New York and started a catering business. In 1977, she co-founded (with Rosso) a gourmet and catering shop in NYC called The Silver Palate. McLaughlin managed the Silver Palate and when owners Julee Rosso and Sheila Lukins decided to write their first book, he created many of the recipes. Lukins sold her interest in The Silver Palate in 1988 when it was sold to new owners and the store finally was closed in 1993.

After 11 years working together, Rosso and Lukins split up in the 1990s in a widely-reported feud, although they were reunited in 2007 to publish a new 25th-anniversary edition of The Silver Palate Cookbook. Lukins passed away in 2009. Rosso and her husband Bill own an inn in Saugatuck, Michigan. She gives cooking lessons there.

McLaughlin stayed in the background (this poor photo was hard to come by) for the most part and left the Silver Palate in 1984 when he opened the Manhattan Chili Company in New York’s Greenwich Village, a restaurant that showcased Southwestern cuisine. Michael died in Santa Fe in 2002.

To honor these "game changers" I chose to make a seafood salad I've been making for years. What I like about this recipe is you can dress it with different salad dressings. A basil purée or a sherry mayonnaise are the two I use the most; I like them both, or you could use any recipe for a basil pesto you may have.  I chose to use the sherry mayonnaise this time. I also like to add tomatoes as it seems to call out for some additional color.

Pasta and Seafood Salad
From The Silver Palate Cookbook

Ingredients:

1 pound raw shrimp, shelled and deveined

1 pound bay scallops, rinsed

3 squid, dressed

1/2 pound corkscrew or shell pasta (I used cavatelli here, but I do prefer corkscrew or something unusual.)

1 cup peas, defrosted

1/2 cup diced red pepper

1/2 cup minced purple onion

1/2 cup olive oil

4 Tablespoons lemon juice

salt and pepper

1 cup black olives, preferably Kalamata or Alfonso

Method:
Boil scallops and shrimp in boiling salted water for 1 minutes. Boil the squid and tentacles for 3 or 3  minutes. Then cut squid body in 1 inch rings. Be sure to use the squid tentacles! Cook pasta, drain. Mix all ingredients in a salad bowl and toss with sherry mayonnaise or the basil purée. Top with black olives. Serves 4-6.

Sherry Mayonaise
Ingredients:

1 whole egg

2 egg yolks

1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard

1/4 chup sherry vinegar

salt and pepper

2 cups corn oil

Method:
Combine egg, egg yolks, mustard, vinegar in processor. Season with salt and pepper and process 1 minute. With motor running, dribble oil in a steady stream. When done and thick, refrigerate.

Basil Purée
Ingredients:
7 cups washed and dried fresh basil leaves
3-4 tablespoons olive oil

Method:

Purée in a food processor, cover and refrigerate

Join Mary from One Perfect Bite and all the other participants in this fun series.

Val - More Than Burnt Toast
Joanne - Eats Well With Others
Taryn - Have Kitchen Will Feed
Susan - The Spice Garden
Claudia - A Seasonal Cook in Turkey
Heather - girlichef
Miranda - Mangoes and Chutney
Jeanette - Healthy Living
April - Abby Sweets 
Katie - Making Michael Pollan Proud
Mary - One Perfect Bite
Kathleen -Bake Away with Me
Viola - The Life is Good Kitchen
Sue - The View from Great Island
Kathleen - Gonna Want Seconds
Amy - Beloved Green
Jeanette - Healthy Living
Linda - Ciao Chow Linda
Martha - Lines from Linderhof

Classic Bouillabaisse

While my daughter was here last month, she asked if we could make bouillabaisse; she'd always wanted to. We sat down, perused my cookbooks and finally surfaced with a recipe from Eric Ripert's Avec Eric. 

It's definitely a classic. Tracy made the rouille first and refrigerated it. A couple days later, we bought our fresh seafood, made the fish stock in the morning and the bouillabaisse for dinner. It was fun and fabulous, but..... we were disappointed with the rouille....not nearly flavorful enough. It lacked pizzazz.  So the next day, we punched it up with a few additions and ate it for lunch. Huge improvement. I've made our corrections in the recipe below.
Below, the bouillabaisse was served in a large family style dish with a heaping spoonful of Eric's rouille in the middle. The second photo was taken the next day, after we made our changes to the rouille and this time we mixed it into our individual soup bowls. 

Bouillabaisse
Adapted from Avec Eric by Eric Ripert

Ingredients:

For the bouquet garni:
3 Italian parsley sprigs
2 thyme sprigs
1 bay leaf
1  1/2 teaspoons black peppercorns

For the bouillabaisse:
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 pounds fish bones and parts from white-fleshed fish such as halibut or monkfish
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1/2 cup Pernod
1 onion, diced
1 stalk celery, diced
1 small fennel bulb, diced
3 garlic cloves, sliced
1 cup diced tomato
1/2 cup dry white wine
large pinch saffron threads
fine sea salt and freshly ground white pepper
12 small new potatoes, peeled and cut in half
1 small leek, tender green parts only, cut in 1/4 inch dice
1/2 cup diced fennel
1/2 cup diced onion
1/2 pound firm white fish filet such as monkfish or halibut, cut in 2 inch chunks
1/2 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 pound mussels and/or clams, scrubbed, soaked and mussels debearded
country white bread
rouille (recipe follows)

Method:
Wrap the parsley, thyme, bay leaf and peppercorns in some cheesecloth and tie. Set aside.
Heat the olive oil in a large pot and add the fish bones and parts and saute for about 5 minutes. Add the tomato paste and saute another minute or so. Delaze with the Pernod and add the onion, celery, fennel and garlic and saute until the vegetables are soft, stirring often, for 10 minutes.
Add the diced tomato, wine and saffron and enough water to cover the ingredients. (about 5 cups) Add the sachet and cook for about half an hour. Remove the sachet and any large fish bones and season with salt and pepper.
With an emersion blender (I did mine in my processor) puree the soup and then strain through a fine mesh seive.
Place the soup in a medium pot over medium heat and add the potatoes, leek, fennel and onion and simmer until tender, about 10 minutes.
Add the clams and simmer another 5 minutes. Season the fish and shrimp with salt and pepper. Add the shrimp to the bouillbaise and cook until they turn pink. A couple minutes. Add the fish along with the mussels and simmer until the fish is barely cooked and the mussels are opened.
Serve the bouillbaise over toasted country bread with the rouille. Serves 4.

The Rouille:

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon saffron threads
2 large egg yolks
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 garlic cloves, finely minced
1/2 roasted and peeled red pepper, finely diced
1/4 cup finely chopped parsley
fine sea salt and freshly ground white pepper
6 tablespoons canola oil
6 tablespoons olive oil
large pinch of cayenne pepper (more to taste, or use harissa)

Method:
Combine the water and saffron threads and allow to soak until the saffron threads are moist, about 5 minutes or so.
Place the saffron mixture along with the egg yolks, lemon juice and garlic in a blender. Season with salt and pepper and blend about 30 seconds. With the machine running, add the canola and olive oils slowly, creating a thick emulsion.
Remove from blender, add the red pepper, parsley and cayenne to taste. Transfer to a sealed container and keep refrigerated for up to a week.

Sophie's Mushy Peas with Seared Scallops

Ahem. Please take note: I am throwing a healthy dinner into the mix of  Super Bowl snacks and Valentine Day sweets. Have I mentioned I am still watching my diet after the indulgences of the holidays? And this certainly fits the bill. Scallops are my favorite seafood and I much prefer them simply prepared. Oh, I can do sauces and other garnishes for guests, but I like easy, lo-cal and fast for myself. So searing with a little prosciutto around them is my favorite way to serve them. Simplicity itself.

When I got Sophie Dahl's book last year I remember reading this particular recipe and thinking what a great idea it was. I love peas, but they are so unruly on a plate. In a salad? Fine. On a plate? No thanks. Here's the answer: Sophie's version of Mushy Peas, a British classic. You've got to try this.....and don't you just adore crème fraiche? Yum. I'm in love with these mushy peas! With any kind of seafood, it's delicious. I just happen to prefer scallops and this makes such a pretty presentation....even if it is just for me.


Char-grilled Scallops on Pea Purée
Adapted from Miss Dahl's Voluptuous Delights by Sophie Dahl

Ingredients:

The peas:
2 cups frozen peas
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint
1 tablespoon crème fraiche
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

The scallops:
Olive oil
4 ounces prosciutto, cut into 16 one inch strips
8 scallops
2 teaspoons lemon zest
1 teaspoon dried red chili flakes (optional)


Method:

Cook the peas in boiling water for 5 minutes. Drain and put in a food processor. Add the butter, mint and crème fraiche. Purée. Keep warm until ready to serve.

Wrap each scallop with a thin slice of prosciutto. Secure with a toothpick. 

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Place the scallops into the pan and cook for about 2 minutes on each side until well browned. Season each side with salt and pepper as it is cooking. When nearly done, throw in the zest and chili flakes. Serve immediately over the puréed peas.  Serves 2-3.

Condos and Crabmeat

Have I mentioned I live in a condominium? It was the first one built in the U.S. That's right: the first. We have the plaque to prove it. Not a co-op, those were around way earlier, but the first condo. And this is not one of those ghastly high rises which came later, worse luck, but a city block of several smallish, pastel-colored buildings on A1A, which means the ocean is right across the street. I've lived here a while and condo living (or any apartment living for that matter) is often dicey. My father's advice: don't make waves.

Normally, I don't. But..... it's all about a new fire alarm system the city says we have to install. I have no objections to complying with code but with who will do the installing. The Board chose an expensive company...costing nearly $60,000...and did not bother to look further. Appalled, we got another bid from a well-regarded company, $20,000 less for the same work. The Board refused to meet with them, discuss their references or consider their bid and informed us they had signed a contract with the other firm and that was that. Go away.
I really do hate arrogance.

So, the upstarts in Building A (that's us) made waves. We wrote letters; we asked for arbitration; we ignored the invoice; and we finally refused access to our apartments. Our entire building was on the same page. Which is nothing short of amazing. The end result? Threatening letters from Board attorneys (which we pay for) and finally a notice that the city would start fining us $500 for each day the work was not in progress. Request for arbitration is law but the Board informed us by registered letter we would have to pay all attorney fees and any fines while waiting for arbitration and ditto if we lost. Dicey indeed. It may well end up costing more than the savings we hoped for. It. Just. Ain't. Fair.

Most of us caved. Some did not, but they haven't a hope in hell of beating the system. It's gonna happen. Work has begun on the willing (I use the word loosely) apartments. There'll be stobe lights, klaxons, speaker systems telling you to get out! get out! and if this ever goes off in the night, just dial 911- forget the fire- because I will have had a heart attack. The equipment is 5 feet from the head of my bed.

Are you ready? I now have 4 fire alarm systems:

1. Was here when I moved in and will eventually be disconnected (I assume), though the detectors will not be removed.
2. Was installed by my home alarm company. More detectors, active.
3. Was added when the fire department came by and told us we needed to install some extra battery operated ones a few years ago. Still more active detectors.
4. The brand new one. Detectors galore.

What d'ya think? Overkill?
I need a drink.

And just what has this to do with Crabmeat? Not much, except I had company coming for dinner and had to work around installers, ladders, boxes of tools and coils of wire in the kitchen. It was a near thing, but I pulled it off.

My Deviled Crab was on the menu and it's a really old recipe; so old, I have no idea where I found it. Do you remember the funky clam shells we used to serve our crab dishes in? When I first started making this recipe, I used them. That's how old. Mine turned yellow and cracked so I finally got rid of them. It's an interesting combination of ingredients but the most important tip is to use really fresh crabmeat. And then haul out your old clamshells!

Stuffed Deviled Crab

Ingredients:

1 pound fresh crab, flaked
4 tablespoons lime juice
2 teaspoons onion pulp (I grate mine)
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 or 3 dashes Tobasco
Salt to taste
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons chopped onion
2 tablespoons chopped green pepper
1 small tomato, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
Pinch dry mustard
Pinch mace
Pinch dried basil
2 tablespoons light rum
2 tablespoons fine breadcrumbs
Cracker crumbs

Grated Parmesan cheese

Method:

In a bowl mix the flaked crabmeat, the lime juice, onion pulp, black pepper, Tobasco and salt to taste. Cover and refrigerate for a couple hours before serving.

In a skillet melt the butter and add the chopped onions, green pepper, tomato, the garlic and the parsley. Sauté until the vegetables are tender. Add the dry mustard, mace, basil, rum and breadcrumbs. Stir over low heat for a couple minutes.

Add the crab mixture to the stuffing and heat, stirring, for about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and pack into cleaned crab shells or individual ramekins. Sprinkle with a mixture of cracker crumbs and Parmesan cheese. Dot with butter and bake in a 350° oven until the top is browned and everything is heated through, 5-10 minutes.
Serves 6.

Good Things Come In Small Packages

Is sea bass one of those fish we're not supposed to eat? It’s confusing. And no wonder. First it was the “in” fish; then environmentalists got the word out about overfishing and sustainability. As a result, many chefs banned it from their menus. Now once again it's on menus everywhere AND in Gourmet magazine where I found this recipe so I'm guessing it’s OK to eat. Right?

I do love fish- any kind – cooked any old way, but I’m always on the lookout for unusual recipes. And I am not much for sauces, especially when I am watching calories. I want something simple, fast, lo-cal and delicious- yet something spectacular enough to serve to company. That’s the trick. Elegant enough for company without appearing like a skimpy diet dinner.

Well, here's a winner. Gourmet’s May 2009 issue has one of their “quick kitchen” recipes called Sake Sea Bass in Parchment. It looked like such a fun presentation and after reading the ingredients I didn’t see how it could go wrong. (Unless someone’s going to tell me I bought illegal fish from Whole Foods- which I greatly doubt.)

Since I found this recipe I've made it again and again. It's addictive. It’s perfect for dinner serving one or two as well as great fun for company. Just add a salad, a veggie and you’re done. Lovely.

Sake Sea Bass In Parchment

(Adapted from Gourmet Magazine, May 2009)

Ingredients:

1/2 cup sake

1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 teaspoon grated peeled ginger

1 teaspoon sugar

6 (6 ounce) pieces skinless sea bass fillet (about 1 inch thick), any bones removed

1/2 cup sliced scallions

6 (12 to 15 inch) squares white parchment paper and kitchen string

Method:

Preheat oven to 400°. Put a baking sheet on the bottom rack.

Stir together the sake, soy sauce, ginger and sugar in a bowl.

(If fish fillets are more than 4 inches long, fold the ends under.)

Place a fish fillet in the center of each piece of a parchment square and season very lightly with salt. Working with one fillet at a time, sprinkle each portion of fish with scallions and then spoon some of the sake sauce over the top, holding two corners of the parchment paper to stop liquid from spilling out.

Gather the corners of each piece over the fish to form a pouch, leaving no openings and tie tightly with string.

Repeat with the other portions.

Place on the hot baking sheet and bake until fish is cooked through, about 10 to 12 minutes. Cut the string, open carefully and enjoy! Serves 6.

Stone Crabs: One Last Splurge

Happy 2009! Can you believe it?

Well, here goes: this year I will try to- be more frugal; stick to a diet; be more patient; listen; pour more love and encouragement on those precious to me; be a better friend. These are not resolutions but merely a little list for myself. I think I can manage to accomplish most of it. The hardest part for me is always dieting. Not so easy.

My daughter will be returning to New York City Monday.... I will miss her very much. She has a contemporary art gallery there (see "My Favorite Websites" below) and the art market has not been all that great lately. I am crossing my fingers that all the naysayers will be wrong in their predictions for 2009. This gallery is Tracy's dream and she works like mad to make it a success, which it has been for several years. I know, everyone is having problems with the economy and everyone is working hard to keep their dreams alive. But we mothers worry about all our kids, we can't help it and no matter how grown up they are, this will never change. I worry about my sons just as much. Little kids, little problems; big kids, big problems. Can't remember where I first heard that, but it sure is true.

So, in keeping with our diet promises (But our frugal promises? Not so much.) I decided to surprise Tracy on New Year's Day with her all-time favorite: stone crabs. Delicious and aren't the colors to die for? And best thing yet, no work. They are cooked and cracked and ready to go.

To accompany, we always use a recipe I found years ago in the Miami Herald for Joe's Mustard Sauce. The Joe I speak of is -need I say it- Joe's Stone Crab, the famous Miami restaurant where stone crabs are king. And the rest of their food is pretty regal too. Now I have no idea if this recipe is really Joe's or not. The paper claimed it was and we think it's pretty close to the real thing, so that's what we call it, with mea culpas to Joe's if it's not.

Joe's Mustard Sauce

Ingredients:

3 and 1/2 teaspoons dry English mustard (like Coleman's)
1 cup mayonnaise
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon A-1 sauce
1/8 cup light cream
1/8 teaspoon salt

Method:

In a small bowl beat the dry mustard and mayonnaise until blended. Add remaining ingredients and chill until ready to serve. Makes 1 cup.

We needed a salad as well, so I made some Broccoli Slaw. It's pretty, you can make it ahead, although it is a simple recipe to begin with, tasty and the perfect foil for the stone crabs. My friend Polly originally gave me the recipe so I named it after her. You don't need another thing- perhaps some white wine and for those who wanted dessert I pulled out what was left of my Apricot and Nut Cookies. Yum! What a great start for 2009.

Polly's Broccoli Slaw

Ingredients:

1 pound broccoli slaw (you can find it in your market)
1 package cole slaw
6 green onions, sliced
2 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted
1/2 cup slivered almonds, toasted
2 packages ramen chicken soup mix
1 1/2 cups salad oil
2 1/2 Tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon pepper
6 tablespoons red wine vinegar

Method:

Mix the first five ingredients and refrigerate. Make a dressing with oil, vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper and 1 1/2 packages of the seasoning mix in the soup packet. Mix well. Just before serving, crunch up the noodles of both packages and add to the slaw. (I put them in a plastic bag and pound them with my rolling pin) Pour dressing over and serve.