Cabbage Salad

A straightforward chopped slaw that depends almost entirely on the dressing and on how finely the cabbage is cut. Everything here still works as written; only a few terms need translating.

• Catsup, then and nowTomato catsup around 1900 was often thinner, sharper and more heavily spiced with clove and allspice than modern ketchup, and frequently less sweet, though commercial bottled brands were already sugared. If a tablespoon of today's ketchup pushes the salad sweet, cut it with a teaspoon of cider vinegar.
• Boiled dressingA standard salad dressing of the period: egg yolks, vinegar, mustard, a little flour or cornstarch and milk, thickened over hot water to a custard. It is tarter and lighter than mayonnaise and holds up better against cabbage. Any cooked-style dressing or a thinned mayonnaise stands in.
• Cut the cabbage fine"Chopped" here means small dice or a coarse shred, not the hair-fine shave of a modern slaw. Uniform pieces matter more than size, since the dressing has to coat rather than pool.
• Salt and drain firstTwo cups of chopped cabbage will shed water once dressed. Tossing it with a half teaspoon of salt, resting twenty minutes and squeezing it dry keeps the dressing from thinning on the plate.
• CeleryUse the tender inner ribs and dice them the same size as the cabbage. Older celery is often said to have had a stronger, more bitter edge than modern cultivars; the leaves, minced, add some of that flavour.
• ChivesA tablespoon of chives is a lot for three cups of vegetables, which is the point: they are the salad's only allium note. Scissors work better than a knife, which bruises them.
• Yield and timingServes four as a side. Dress it no more than half an hour before serving, and keep it cold; cabbage salads slump quickly once the dressing goes on.