Flashback to the Seventies: Red Onion Cucumber Salad

In this weekly series, home cook Bruce Watson works his way through a decades-old family cookbook, adapting the best recipes exclusively for Slashfood.

When I have access to fresh produce, cucumber season becomes one of my favorite times of the year. Although it runs from May to August, the wonderful green beauties won't reach their full flourish until later in the summer. Still, it's hard to resist the cool, summery flavor of the first cukes of the season. With that in mind, I decided to flip through my family cookbook in search of some great cucumber recipes.

My Aunt Renie's cucumber salad manages to halve the distance between sharp and smooth, sweet and sour, creamy and intense. In my adjusted version, I cut back on the onions, switched in Greek yogurt and tossed in some fresh dill.

The final version had the soothing coolness of a traditional cucumber salad, but also retained a nice vinegar tang that keeps me on my toes. This is great by itself, or as an accompaniment to barbecue or any other strongly seasoned dish.

Get the cucumber salad recipe after the jump!


Cucumber Salad

1 cucumber, unpeeled
2 tablespoons thinly sliced red onion
2 tablespoons minced fresh dill
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon sour cream
1/2 cup fat-free Greek yogurt

Slice cucumber extremely thin, using a mandoline if possible. Add onion and mix. Combine the remaining ingredients in a small bowl and mix thoroughly. Pour over cucumber/onion mixture, toss, and serve immediately.