My grandmother’s cucumber salad with 4-in terms

My grandmother is many things – loves, funny, resilient, 101 years old (!) – but an amazing cook that she is not. I wrote about my Nana several times so that the readers with eagle eyes recognize them as the grandma it is Not about heat and eat pages And its daily breakfast includes complicated steps like toasting a bag. As opposed to Many allrecipes readersI did not grow up with complicated cakes and comforting casseroles that move every visit to Grandmas.

Instead, their best dishes were a look at their own childhood in Vienna, Austria. Out of Wiener Schnitzel to paprika goulashYour Austrian staples will be familiar to anyone who grew up with Eastern European parents or grandparents.

But there is a dish that would not be a meal at Nana’s, without: cucumber salad. And to this day it is the only thing I ask you when I come by – although I honestly don’t have to, because there is almost always a lot of it in your fridge.

How to make my grandmother’s simple cucumber salad

We have many Styles of cucumber salads On allrecipes, but my grandma is a cucumber salad in a Viennese style with super thin cucumber slices and lots of vinegar. It is acidic and lively and the perfect side of heavier main dishes or as a snack on a hot summer day. And I can’t emphasize how easy it is to make; In the words of my Nana: “It’s the easiest thing you can imagine.”

It starts with cucumber; My grandma buys everything you have, but I’m going with that Mainless English variety or smaller Persian cucumber So I don’t have to exploit the seeds. Then you have the choice of peeling your cucumber or not. If you use conventional cukes, you may want to peel because the skin can be bitter. When I use English cucumber, I am happy to look for the outside with a fork to get a great striped pattern on the edge of the panes.

Cut the cucumbers as thin as possible. You can do this by hand or with one mandolin (carefully) accelerate the process. Next comes a crucial step: Salt the cucumber. Sprol the cucumbers with salt and then let them sit pulls out excess moisture And helps the cucumber, their ultimate marinade or your dressing better absorb. It also has a more pleasant texture.

Let them sit in the fridge between 20 and 30 minutes to a few hours. I like placing it over a bowl in a pillar so that the excess water drips into the bowl below. Then give them a quick rinsing in cold water and dress them. The dressing of my grandmother resembles ours most popular cucumber saladJust easier.

It is just white vinegar, a little sugar and a little olive oil – that’s it. My nana likes things super vinegar, so it goes heavily on the vinegar and only adds a small water to dilute it (if she dilutes it at all). For the rest of us, I would recommend a ratio of two part vinegar to part of water. You can also adjust the sugar to your taste. One or two pinch is usually enough.

Now, if I do it for myself, I add dill (fresh or dried) or even something Caraway seeds For a button of refreshing, herbly taste. But if you are a purist like my Nana, four ingredients are everything it needs. If it serves it to society, she likes to garnish with a scattering of sweet peppers for color.

While many Cucumber Ask you to cook the dressing over the stove to let the sugar dissolve, my grandma says that this is not necessary. Just pour it around and let it sit in the fridge for at least an hour before digging in. I want to set it for at least a few hours so that the cucumbers are easily inserted.

The best part of this salad is the texture. If aqueous cucumber salads have switched off you from you, I ask you to try them. If you have the cucumbers cut thinly, melt almost into each other, like ligaments of the pickled cucumber quality. You have the perfect balance between crunch and bite, and the acid brightness of vinegar is next to grill And other grilled meat. In combination with the fact that it is a non -carbonated side that comes together in a few minutes, this cucumber salad is perfect for Hot summer days If you just can’t make the trouble to cook.