Simple Side a Snap to Prepare

Once our cucumbers start coming in, we find ourselves inundated before we know it. Hence, I am always looking for new things to do with them. We love them raw in salads or sliced thin to add crunch to a sandwich. I’ve even added them to veggie smoothies! But sometimes we want something besides unadorned cucumber. This simple recipe is one of my family’s favorite. It’s so easy, there’s no need for a formal recipe.

Ingredients:

You’ll want at least one small cuke per person—more if you want leftovers. This keeps for a day or two in the fridge. The flavor of cucumbers is enhanced after chilling in a dressing made of low-fat organic sour cream or plain yogurt, dill from the garden, ground pepper, fresh-squeezed lemon, and a dash of Tabasco.

Step 1. Peel cucumbers. Cut in half lengthwise, and scoop out the seeds with a spoon. Discard the seeds. I put mine in our kitchen compost for transfer to our worm bin.

Step 2. Chop the cucumber into uniform, bite-sized chunks—about 1/4-inch x 3/4-inch each—and place in a colander.

Step 3. Sprinkle with salt (I like Kosher-style)—about 1/2 teaspoon per cup of chopped cukes. Mix well, and set the colander on a stack of paper towels, or a clean folded dish towel if you prefer. Set aside and let the salt leach the excess water from the cukes. Replace the towels as needed, until they’re no longer sopping wet. The first batch gets soaked quickly!

Step 4. Make the dressing. The amount of sour cream or yogurt used will depend on the number of cukes you have—figure about ¼ C per cup of cut cukes. Add in the juice of 1/4 lemon for each 1/4 C of sour cream. Whisk in finely chopped fresh dill to taste; I use about a teaspoon per 1/4 C of sour cream. Add ground pepper to taste, and a dash or two of Tabasco.

 Step 5. Fold the cut cukes into the sour cream mixture and refrigerate covered to chill for at least a half-hour before serving.

Step 6. Serve and enjoy! This makes a great side dish to accompany salmon or other seafood.