#Grandmaweek... Back to Basics
In the late summer, my paternal grandma (Oma) used to always make us cold cucumber and yogurt salad, an Eastern European treat she brought over with her when she emigrated from the former Yugoslavia after WWII.
Walking home the other day in the heat planning lunch, I found myself thinking about Oma and craving that salad and how cool it was. But also remembering the summer sleep overs that accompanied that salad and the Grimm’s Brother fairy tales Oma used to read us before bed. Which got me thinking about Rapunzel. Which of course, like Rapunzel's mother, made me crave… radishes!
I wanted something that reminded me of that cucumber yogurt salad but that would make sense with the radishes as well. Simple solution? A quick pickle of the two using some white vinegar served over Greek yogurt.
This one is back to basics (I realize that in my enthusiasm for fresh produce I have become slightly... ambitious... in my recipes lately). But this recipe is really practical and truly easy to prep in under 15 minutes. Still, make it the night before because it tastes better if you let the flavors meld in the fridge overnight.
Oma would approve.
“Oma’s Fairy Tale” Quick Pickled Radish and Cucumber Salad
Makes 2 large servings
- 5-6 radishes (roughly a half a bunch) thinly sliced (about 2 cups total)
- ½ teapsoon salt
- 1 red onion thinly sliced (about a cup)
- ½ cucumber thinly sliced (about a cup)
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- 1 clove garlic, minced or pressed
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh dill
Get out a mixing bowl and add the radishes and the salt. Toss and let sit for about 10 minutes so that the radishes soften a bit and release some liquid. Drain the liquid off the radishes and add the red onion and cucumber to the bowl.
In a separate small mixing bowl, whisk together the olive oil, white wine vinegar, sugar, garlic, and dill. Pour the mixture into the other bowl over the vegetables and toss them to combine. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it sit in the fridge for a minimum of 1 hour, or preferably overnight, to let the flavors meld.
Pack up a very generous portion of the salad (it's only veggies after all) with an equally generous scoop of Greek yogurt. When you’re ready for lunch dress the Greek yogurt with some olive oil and pepper.
Enjoy the fact that you made lunch with much less effort than it probably ever took for your grandmother to read you a fairy tale. Especially if it was my grandma and she insisted on reading you the fairy tale in simultaneous translation from German...