Marie Catrib’s was a popular spot in the city of Grand Rapids for years. The restaurant, open from 2013 until 2018, was run by Lebanese immigrant Marie Catrib.
At her restaurant, Catrib offered customers a variety of Mediterranean and American flavors, while also crafting a menu fit with vegan and gluten free offerings.
One of the standout dishes at Marie Catrib’s was her signature coleslaw, a recipe with roots that go back even further, to her first deli in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, which she opened in 1985. At her Grand Rapids restaurant, the coleslaw was featured as a side or used to complement some of her most popular sandwiches.
The recipe itself is simple but flavorful, calling for shredded cabbage, julienned carrots, and bell peppers.
These fresh veggies are combined with a dressing made from just seven everyday ingredients, creating a tangy, well-balanced flavor.
The key to the coleslaw’s success lies in allowing the vegetables to marinate in the dressing, as the flavors deepen the longer they sit.
Ingredients
2 bell peppers, julienned
2 red onions, julienned
2 cups of carrots, shredded
1 large head of cabbage quartered, cored and julienned
Dressing ingredients
5 cups of granulated sugar,
4 cups of white vinegar
1 tablespoon of salt
2 tablespoons of celery seed
2 tablespoons of dry mustard powder
2 tablespoons of turmeric
2 cups of canola or vegetable oil
Instructions
Place cut vegetables in a large metal bowl. Combine dressing ingredients in stock pot. Cook dressing for about 10 minutes, whisking often until sugar is dissolved and pot begins to bubble around edges. While it's hot, pour over veggies. Allow to slightly cool. Mix carefully by hand using gloves. Refrigerate and mix occasionally for a few hours before serving.
Note from Marie Catrib: Dressing works well with other salad veggies as well.
