Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Creamy Cucumber Salad

I love good, creamy salads. I'm a huge cole slaw fan, but so far I haven't attempted to make it on my own. But I have made this yummy creamy cucumber salad, and it fills the same void in my heart/stomach. Because you salt the cucumbers to extract the water in them, they taste a bit like pickles, which is fun. It's also similar to a salad version of tzatziki sauce, and who doesn't love that?

First you'll want to slice up 5 hothouse cucumbers. You really should start this recipe the day before you want to serve it. The ingredients needs to spend some serious time in the fridge a few times.

Now place the cucumbers in a large bowl. This is a whole lot of cucumbers.

Now add 2 sliced small red onions. To this bowl you will add a whole lot of salt - 1 1/2 tablespoons. This is to help extract the water from the veggies so that the salad won't be watery.

Now you will place this cucumber mixture in a colander and place the colander in a bowl to collect the water. Cover this in plastic wrap and place it in the fridge for 4 hours or overnight. I know, I'm such a downer.

Now take 4 cups of plain yogurt and place it in a sieve covered in a paper towel over a bowl. I didn't have a sieve large enough, so I placed a paper towel over a steamer and it worked just fine. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place it in the fridge for 4 hours or overnight.

Discard the liquid that collects in the bowls (because it will frankly be kind of gross). Squeeze the cucumber mixture with paper towels or towels to get rid of that last bit of water. Now combine the cucumbers and yogurt in a large bowl. Add 1 cup of sour cream, 2 tablespoons of white wine vinegar, 1/2 cup fresh minced dill, and 1 1/2 teaspoons of freshly ground black pepper. Mix thoroughly and place in the fridge for a few hours for the flavors to develop. Please restrain yourself from eating it all now, I promise it will be better in a few hours!

Creamy Cucumber Salad
5 hothouse cucumbers, thinly sliced
2 small red onions, thinly sliced
Kosher salt
4 cups (32 oz) plain yogurt
1 cup (8 oz) sour cream
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1/2 cup minced dill
1 1/2 teaspoons ground pepper

Mix the 5 sliced cucumbers, 2 sliced onions, and 1 1/2 tablespoons of salt in large bowl. Pour this mixture into a colander suspended over a bowl and wrap the bowl in plastic wrap. Place it in the fridge to drain for 4 hours or overnight.

Place the 4 cups of yogurt in a sieve lined with a paper towel and placed over a bowl. Wrap the bowl in plastic wrap and place in the fridge to drain for 4 hours or overnight.

Remove the cucumbers and yogurt from the fridge and discard the liquid that was caught in the bowls. Wrap the cucumbers in paper towels or a towel to remove excess liquid. In a large bowl, place the cucumber mixture, the yogurt, 1 cup sour cream, 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar, 1/2 cup minced dill, and 1 1/2 teaspoons of ground pepper. Mix well and refrigerate for a few hours before serving to allow the flavors to develop.

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