Viennese Cucumber Salad
I remember reading about this salad pre-F1Cookbook days. I saw it on Smitten Kitchen and possibly even on Gourmet’s website. This was back when I was just a Smitten Kitchen fan and not necessarily a motorsport fan. I hadn’t been searching for international recipes as avidly as I do now. I am pretty sure I passed it over for its general simplicity and conversely, I imagine I thought — this has too many ingredients for what is essentially a one ingredient salad. All that said, I am so glad I came back to it, that it sat somewhere in my memory banks waiting to be unearthed. Admittedly, I was also convinced I had made it before, and I have made my fair share of cucumber salads (I have listed them below in case you have a surplus of cucumbers and need just such a list), but not this one. Now that I have made it, I will undoubtedly make it again. Simple, crunchy, and a great side to something rich… or doused in butter like this year’s recipe pairing Kartner Kasnudeln.
Viennese Cucumber Salad
2 large seedless cucumbers (about 2 pounds)
1 tablespoon salt
1/3 cup white-wine vinegar
1/4 cup water
2 teaspoons sugar
1 garlic clove, smashed and then diced or pressed in a garlic press
1 teaspoon dill seed
1. Score cucumbers lengthwise with a fork and slice thinly.
2. In a large bowl toss cucumbers with salt and let stand 1 hour.
3. In a small saucepan bring vinegar and water to a boil with sugar, garlic, and dill seed, stirring until sugar is dissolved, let cool.
4. In a colander drain cucumbers and rinse under cold water. Drain well, gently squeezing out excess liquid.
5. In a bowl combine cucumbers with dressing and marinate, covered and chilled, at least 1 hour.
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen (who adapted it from Gourmet)
I only had about 1/2 pound of Persian cucumbers. It was easy enough to 1/4 the recipe and it works like a charm in any proportion.