Cucumbers are # 1
and are also one of the few foods for which she had not left a recipe. YIKES.
Simple, plain vinegary cucs and onions - how could that be so hard?
Somehow it was and took years. Finding "A Little Scandinavian Cookbook" by Janet Laurence (ISBN 0877017433) brought success.
Thank you Janet! The ingredient I kept missing was SUGAR --- ah, ah, ah.. I should have known.
pages 18 & 19Still - had to leave out the parsley, the pepper AND for sure cut off the rind, plus add onion rings, lots and lots of sweet onion.
The proportions of white vinegar, water and sugar however were absolutely on target for "the man."
Cucumber season is ON, so the first photo above shows the glass bowl of vinegared cucs and onions now going; stored in the refrigerator. Started with 3 cucs, peeled, sliced, brined for 12 hours; then two large sweet onions - 1 cup water, 1 cup white distilled vinegar, aprox 1/2 c sugar. Keep adding brined cucs, fresh onion rings as each runs out. When the vinegar solution gets too weak - pour it out and refresh with a new solution.
A great summer salad alone or with other salads. I often add some sprigs of dill or basil to mine; Frank still prefers his plain so plain it stays. :D
12 comments:
Thanks for this recipe, Jane! My husband absolutely loves this and I've also had trouble making this "just like mom's"
Hi Country Mouse, You are so welcome. I hope it hits the mom spot for your husband too. Frank's mom cooked lots of things in a Swedish way to please her Mister and so the kiddo learned to eat that style too. It was really a joy to find this little cook book. "D
My mother-in-law made German cucumbers similar to this and I loved it. Hubby don't care for it so I don't make it. Glad you found the recipe to make them like your hubby likes them. Hugs
Thanks Mumsy, wish we were close enough that I could share some of these with you. They are wonderfully crisp with a great sweet-sour kick. hugs back at you. So enjoy your blog. Jane
Hubby and I have been relishing (no pun intended!) the Vidalia onions lately and your recipe would be another great use for them. :-)
Isn't it funny how we love the familiar - especially the things we grew up with - and Mom's cooking is often at the top of that list.
Lovely post! :-)
Crystal xoxo
Oh yes Crystal, that is so true - for both things, the familiar and this being a great salad with vidalia onions alone. Good idea, thanks for sharing it. Jane
I also have a missing recipe - though it was mine, not mum's. Mr Nifty said this summer he was hankering to have me make coleslaw *like I used to*...probalby 15 or even 20 years ago! All he can remember is it had those little tinned satsuma segments sprinkled in it - and I have hunted through every recipe book and magazine cutting with no success.
Oh Nifty, best wishes on finding it or a close substitute.
We add mayo/sour cream to ours, but the idea is the same...
yum!!
btw, did you use the lemon juice too, or just the vinegar?
I grew up on the same cucumber and onions! I love it...
Very nice recipe. Thanks you so much for sharing. Great post!
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