For the Gazette
Published: 7/18/2020 5:52:09 PM
“I think cucumber salad is my madeleine,” I remarked to my husband last week. “I’d rather eat a cookie,” he replied back. The salad I’m thinking of — sliced thin on a mandoline, and seasoned with vinegar, salt and just a touch of sugar — is something that my mother, as well as my grandmother, used to make all the time. It brings me back to my childhood, sitting at a dining room table with my family, listening to stories and laughing together.
I’ve always considered it German in origin, perfect for cutting through the grease of a big pile of schnitzel. Of course, you can serve it with a number of things. Just last night I ate the remains of it with some jammy zucchini and roasted cauliflower and enjoyed it immensely.
Last Friday I found five perfectly ripe cucumbers in our garden. With plans to visit my mother that weekend, I thought this would be just the right thing to bring her. Mom is literally the best cook I know, although her health now prevents her from cooking like she used to. The salad was a smash hit — I think it brought back her own memories of it.
The salad needs a little time because you have to sweat out the thin slices with salt to extract the extra liquid. I recommend using a Vidalia onion which guarantees a sweet bite every time. Although the recipe doesn’t call for it, dill would be fantastic in this salad. My own supply is dwindling and I was only able to find a couple of fronds, but there is no such thing as too much dill in cucumber salad.
Cucumber saladFrom “Spice and Spirit:The Complete KosherJewish Cookbook”Ingredients
3 to 4 cucumbers
1 Tablespoon kosher salt
1 medium Vidalia onion
½ cup white vinegar
¼ cup water
½ Tablespoon sugar
Directions
Peel cucumbers and slice very thin — use a mandoline if you have one. Place slices in a bowl and sprinkle with the kosher salt. Allow to stand for 30 minutes or longer, Squeeze water out of cucumber slices and put in a bowl.
Slice the onion into thin rings and put in bowl with cucumbers. Add remaining ingredients, mix well, and refrigerate several hours before serving.
Molly Parr lives in Florence with her husband and two young daughters. She’s been writing her food blog, Cheap Beets, since 2010. She was furloughed from Smith for the summer and is using the time to work on her first cookbook. Send questions or comments to molly.parr@gmail.com.
July 19, 2020 at 04:54AM
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