Rainbow Coleslaw

This crisp colorful salad is the perfect antidote to the typical soggy, neon green coleslaw that comes with take-out. It's also great for potlucks and picnics because it taste better made the day before and keeps for a couple of hours outside of the cooler. I serve it all the time alongside hamburgers or barbecue, and I always have people ask me, "What did you put in that? It's amazing!"  Here's the secret:

Rainbow Coleslaw

For the salad:
1 small head of purple cabbage, shredded
1 small fennel bulb, shredded (stalks discarded)
6 large carrots, peeled, then shredded
1 cup golden raisins
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds

For the dressing:
1 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper

Shred the vegetables and combine with the raisins and pumpkin seeds in a large serving bowl. A mandolin works well for the fennel and cabbage. I use a carrot peeler to shred the carrots.

In a separate bowl, make the dressing by whisking together the mayonnaise and the red wine vinegar with a fork. Stir in the sugar, salt, and pepper. (The amounts given here are estimates. I always do this to taste. Some people like a sweeter coleslaw. I prefer mine on the tangy side.) Then add the dressing to the slaw, tossing it with your bare hands to get it evenly distributed.

Keeps for three days refrigerated.