Almost Like Grammie's Cucumber Salad
Today's post comes as a bit of a cautionary tale--when I was a little girl, my grammie often made a certain cucumber salad that everyone loved--well, everyone except me. I didn't and still don't really like cucumbers and never made an effort to have her write down her recipe, unlike other ones that I loved, like this Farina Pudding! Ironically though, I married a cucumber lover who, for the past few years, has been cultivating bumper crops of the little green guys (they're pretty much the only things that will grow in the tiny patch on the side of our house!) Unfortunately my grammie has since passed and taken her cucumber salad magic with her. I've tried several times to recreate it but all my attempts have all fallen short---until now. When I stumbled across this recipe, grabbed a few of the cukes that are currently lining the bottom shelf of our fridge and threw together this salad in under 10 minutes, little did I know that I'd be recapturing a piece of my family's history. One bite and my husband got that "cucumber salad glow" and declared this "almost as good as Grammie's!" So let this be a lesson to you--don't procrastinate--sit down asap with your grandparents or older relatives and write down those special family recipes so they're never lost. Grammie, we miss you so!!
Almost Like Grammie's Cucumber Salad
Makes 4-6 servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup rice vinegar
- 4 teaspoons superfine sugar (you can just grind up ordinary granulated sugar in the food processor)
- 3-4 large English or Kirby cucumbers, washed and dried but not peeled
- 4-5 thin slices of red onion, chopped
- Salt and black pepper to taste
The Recipe
1. In a large bowl, whisk together the vinegar and sugar until the sugar is dissolved.
2. Slice the cucumbers thinly and add them to the bowl along with the red onion. Toss everything together, cover and let sit for a few hours in the refrigerator so that the flavors have a chance to meld together.
3. Salad will last 4-5 days in an airtight container in the fridge.
Enjoy!
Note: Recipe adapted from Cooking for Comfort by Marian Burros. She adds 4 teaspoons of fresh thyme leaves as well but I didn't have any--feel free to add if you're a thyme lover.
