Scenes from my childhood.

[anne]

When I was a kid, one of the things we always had in the fridge, right next to the watermelon and ice tea, was a bowl of cucumber salad.

Thinly slice cucumbers and plain white onions into a bowl. Combine water, white vinegar, and sugar. This time, I used 1c water, 1c vinegar, a splash of oil, and 1/4c sugar. I heated them in the microwave for about a minute. It's not supposed to be very sweet--just enough to take the edge off the vinegar. Next time I'll probably start with 1/8c sugar. Pour dressing over cucumbers and onions to cover, and let sit in the fridge for a while before eating.

Dunno if this is a regional dish or not (Southern US, if so). It goes very nicely with corn on the cob, chicken salad in tomatoes, and other summer delights.

Comments

[realpestilence]

I've had that before, usually with tomato wedges in it, too. It's a good summer salad.

[anne]

I am not at all sure that my grandmother would have authorized tomatoes in the salad. :-)

[realpestilence]

The version I had was from an Amish cookbook, and the measurements were a little imprecise. They tended to use onions very freely, and wow! That salad could get rather pungent! Tomatoes were a good way to tone it down, without changing the flavor too much.

[anne]

Oh, I see. I learned it from my mother, who's a fan of "until it tastes right." She uses more cucumbers than onions, so we wouldn't have needed the tomatoes. (Which are reserved for bacon-and-tomato sandwiches. Lettuce is a distraction.) ;-)

[realpestilence]

I agree on the lettuce, I see no point for it on food outside of actual salads.

[anne]

Mesclun on a *really* *good* burger isn't bad. With extra-sharp cheddar and a toasted bun. :-9