Cucumber Salad

If there is a veg that I love as much as the tomato, which isn’t a veg at all, it would have to be the cucumber! She is so versatile. She can be pickled, sauteed, grilled, juiced, sliced into water or eaten raw.

This is another simple salad. By simple in this case I mean easy to toss together. This recipe has more ingredients than other salads but they are still things we all have on hand. I don’t follow the recipe now that I have made it. I have trimmed out the ingredients that either I don’t have regularly or don’t like. This is such an adaptable salad that almost everything goes! I have done just about every version, from a creamy dill and mayo to soy pickled with daikon. I am only going to talk about my top 3 for now. The first is a recipe I found on delish. I was tired of the same old thing I was doing with the onions and labneh and vinegar. The second is a riff on a dish I had at the Asian place. The third will be that basic go to that I was trying to get away from. This is going to be a long story so get comfy and settle in for Adventures with the Cucumber!

1/2 red onion thinly sliced

2 lb. English cucumbers

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar

1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

1 Tbsp whole grain mustard

1 tsp honey

1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes, fresh ground black pepper and salt

1/3 c chopped dill

1/4 c thinly sliced chives

Start by soaking the onions in cold water for the time it takes to build the rest of the salad. Slice cucumbers thin, toss with a pinch of salt and put into a colander and let them drain as long as the onions need to soak. While the veggies are thinking about themselves we can make the dressing. Whisk together the wet ingredients and spices until its a dressing type of thing. Drain the onions and blot off any water from the cucumbers. Combine the onions and cucumbers and toss them with the dressing, dill and chives so it can hang out and get sexy.

So these next 2 recipes are my own creation so my measurements are not exact but I have tried to get as close as I can.

4 Tbsp low sodium soy sauce

1.5 Tbsp sesame oil

4 Tbsp rice vinegar

1 tsp chili oil

1 Tbsp sesame seeds

green onion chopped, shallot sliced, red pepper flakes to taste

As many cucumbers as you would like. I like to use pickling cucumbers here, they are more sturdy and don’t get soggy in the dressing. If you have an English cucumber, chop it more into chunks and smash them before you toss them in the dressing. The shallot is just thinly sliced no matter how you make the cucumbers. I like to get the shallot into the dressing first so it has time to soften up. The green onion, sesame seeds and chili flakes are toppings. The toppings can be what ever you like or have on hand really. Even the dressing can be mixed around. Brown rice vinegar, Chinese black vinegar, Korean vinegar, so long as it is Asian it will do. I have a version that uses equal parts balsamic vinegar and soy sauce but it isn’t my favorite. The balsamic adds a sweetness that is not the best with the chili oil.

Basic Cucumber Salad:

1/4 – 1/2 c labneh

1/4 c chopped fresh mint

2 Tbsp za’atar

1- 1 1/2 Tbsp lemon juice

Salt and pepper

2 or 3 English cucumbers

lemon zest

I cheat and use 1 bowl and 1 cutting board for this. I like to make the cucumbers slices, again with the easy. Mix the labneh, lemon juice, spices and some of the mint until it becomes a dressing. Add the cucumbers and salt and pepper and toss to coat. Top with the rest of the mint and chow down. Labneh is a style of Greek yogurt so if you can’t find it the dish won’t be ruined. The only difference is that Labneh is strained twice so it’s a little bit thicker. If you have some red onion hanging around, throw it in. Don’t have za’atar? Oregano is great. Anything that you would season lamb with will work here. Only have ranch dressing? Perfect! Don’t have lemons or lemon juice? A dash of vinegar, any vinegar, will do. No fresh herbs? Use up those dried ones in the dressing and skip the topping.

The humble cucumber lends herself to what ever you want to put her to. This is another ingredient that you should let your imagination run with. Cucumber pico de gallo, cucumber relish, cucumber as a cracker, cucumber soup- make it cold and call it gazpacho! Use the little leftover bits as eye soothers, you are going to need it after all of this!

Happy cooking!