Emy’s Cucumber & Vinegar Salad
What a wonderful salad for the summer. If you have a home garden and have planted cucumbers, this is great way to use them up. Otherwise this time of the year they are on sale at the local markets for a reasonable price. Cucumbers are rich in Vitamins A, C and Folic Acid. Use the skins too — it’s loaded with minerals like magnesium, silica (a mineral good for developing connective tissue), and potassium and is great to aleve skin problems like puffy skin, abrasions and sun burns. Cucumbers, a member of the squash and pumpkin family incidentally, are a natural diuretic and contain an enzyme beneficial in protein absorption too. I’d say that’s pretty good for a vegetable made up mostly of water.
This is a version my mother used to make every summer, which was a continual hit. What I like about this Cucumber Salad is that its cool and refreshing while having all the ‘bang’ of a hot meal. It makes a great accompaniment to burgers, hot dogs or a steak because the flavors won’t shrink from food cooked on the grill. It’s a nice palate cleanser to a side of baked beans too. You can also it serve among other salads — like a spinach and feta combo or with a cold pasta and 3 bean salad.
Again this is great thing to make with your children or allow them to prepare by themselves. Elisabeth loves cucumbers and she is at the point where she wants to peel and dice them by herself. Now I just have to get her to make the rest of the dish!!
Cucumbers made this way can become almost spicy and zesty. Use Champagne Vinegar if you want a more delicate and balanced taste. Slice or chop the cucumbers. Place in a colander and add the salt and garlic powder. Leave for a half hour then squeeze gently to remove any excess moisture. Combine in a stoneware bowl and then pour in a couple of glugs of Extra Virgin Olive Oil (God knows what kind of 1970s artery-clogging Crisco my mother poured in. Sorry Mom, I love you, but it was the 70s.) Add a small amount of vinegar and toss. You can use white vinegar and cider vinegar in equal parts. A teaspoon of sugar will help too. I’m not giving an exact recommendation on the amount of vinegar and oil because it will vary on how many people you want to feed and how many cucumbers you use. The Olive Oil should just be enough to well coat the cucumber slices. There SHOULD NOT be a pool of liquid in the bottom of the bowl when it’s all eaten. Taste to see if you are at the desired consistency and level of tanginess. Then top with an extra sprinkle of dill or parsley. Hey you can go crazy and use both.
Ingredients:
- 1-2 English Cucumbers (or 2-3 regular cucumbers) chopped or sliced.
- ‘Gourmet’ Vinegar (to taste)
- 2 Tbsp Fresh Dill, chopped
- ½ tsp. Garlic Powder
- ½ tsp Kosher Salt
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil (to taste)
- ¼ tsp Fresh ground pepper (or White Pepper if you have it.
This way you wont have black flecks in your salad.)
