Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Aunt Pauline's Cucumber-Onion Salad

My mother and my Aunt Pauline are the last remaining siblings of  six sisters and two brothers.

Mother and her sisters were all wonderful cooks, but Pauline was the best of the lot.  At 93, she is nearly blind and quite frail, but she is still a charming southern lady.

She can no longer cook, but she will be happy to know I'm passing on some of her recipes. Here is a simple summer salad that is surprisingly good with almost any meat.  Eating it  makes me think of summer vacations in Texas.

Ingredients:

1 small onion, or 1/2 of a large onion, sliced and rings separated
1 nice cucumber, peeled and sliced
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup water
1/3 cup vinegar
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. oil
dash pepper

What to do:

Slice the onion and cucumber and put them into a jar.  Mix other  ingredients, adjusting sugar and salt to taste if needed.  Bring to a boil so sugar melts.  Cool and then pour over the onions and cucumbers.  Refrigerate for several hours, or overnight.  Serves 4 to 6.

Variations:

Add some chopped parsley, a pinch of dill or fennel, or some sesame seeds if you'd like to change it a bit.

3 comments:

  1. This sounds wonderful. I've never had this combination, but since I love onions and cucumbers, I've gotta try it.

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  2. Onions and cucumbers are perfect for each other. And it is so simple to make. I forgot to say that I peel the cucumbers. Let me know if you try it and like it.
    :-) It's the time of year for it!

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  3. I almost always double the recipe, and it fits just right in a quart canning jar. :-) A large mayo type jar would work too.

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