Wool and Spice

This seems the right time of year to post a recipe that will help you use up all that garden produce. This recipe originated with our Aunt Evelyn who used to bring it to family picnics. I’m sure it’s not unique, since it’s just sliced veggies and a warm sweet and sour marinade. There is no oil in this recipe and it only uses a 1/4 cup of sugar for a large amount of vegetables, so it’s diet friendly too. The salt content might be a little high for some, but I expect you could cut back on that and use additional spices to boost the flavor.

You don’t have to use both zucchini and cucumbers if you prefer one over the other. The dressing also works well on other cooked veggies. Green beans come to mind. They’ll get better with age.

The key here is slicing both the zucchini and cucumbers thin. Eventually they’ll become soft and nicely pickled and the dish can be used to top a green salad or served on its own. It keeps forever in the fridge. “Forever” being two weeks before we ate it all up.

Cucumber Zucchini Salad

• 1 small red onion
• 2 medium zucchinis unpeeled
• 2 medium cucumbers peeled
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 Tbsp salt
• 1 cup cider vinegar
• 2-3 garlic gloves, peeled and slightly crushed
• 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
• black pepper to taste (lots)

Chop up the onion as fine as you like.

Score the zucchini and cucumbers with a fork and cut into very thin slices. A mandolin or food processor makes the job go faster, but a really sharp knife works just as well.

Alternate layers of zucchini, cucumbers and onions in a bowl. You’ll want to leave enough room at the top for the water that will eventually cover the veggies.

Dissolve sugar and salt in a cup of hot water (I think I used boiling, allowed it to cool before pouring over the salad). Add the rest of the ingredients and stir well.  Pour over the veggies and mush the garlic down into the salad.

Cover and refrigerate for a few hours to let the flavors blend and the veggies soften. Stir at some point.

Goes great with meat or chicken, hamburgers and BBQ, but probably not pancakes.

P.S. I just noticed that when I made this, I added some other spice, see those little yellow seeds in the picture above. I have no idea what I did there. Which just goes to show you can open the spice cupboard and throw in whatever floats your boat. I bet that’s mustard seed.

Sunday Supper

It’s 95 degrees here and humid. I want ice cream for dinner. What we’ll probably have is grilled salmon, new potatoes and string beans. Or maybe a salad so I don’t have to turn on the stove at all. After washing the potatoes, I’ll put them in foil with olive oil, salt and pepper and dill, parsley or chives (or a combination) and roast on the grill until done, +/- 20 minutes. For the last 10 minutes, I’ll move the potatoes to one side of the grill and add a couple salmon slices with dill and lemon.

Brownies for dessert.

What’s on your plate?

Tags: cucumbers, salad, zucchini