Cucumbers in Sour Cream

This recipe was provided by my Polish mother-in-law. Note that her version doesn’t include scallions, but I thought they made a nice garnish.

The salad is delicious…creamy, refreshing and slightly tart, with the main enhancement of fresh dill.

The key to this recipe is to slice the cucumbers very thinly, salt them, and let them stand for a half hour so that the water starts to come out. You don’t want a watery salad! I was lucky enough to have a cucumber from a friend’s garden. It had a lot of large seeds, so I just scooped them out with a spoon before slicing.

Next, after a half hour has passed, place the colander over the sink and take handfuls of cucumbers and squeeze them well, until they expel as much liquid as possible. Place the squeezed cucumbers into a bowl.

Then just add your sour cream, a bit of lemon juice, black pepper and fresh dill weed. You can adjust the seasonings as you like, adding a bit more salt or lemon juice, or a tiny pinch of sugar.

The salad can be served as a side dish with any meats, fish, poultry, or sandwiches.

Cucumbers in Sour Cream

Servings:  2

• 1 medium cucumber, peeled and seeded
• Salt, to taste
• 2 tablespoons organic sour cream
• 1-2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons fresh dill weed, minced
• Black pepper, to taste
• 1 tablespoon sliced scallion greens, optional

Directions:

Slice the cucumber very thinly and place in a colander.  Add a generous sprinkle of salt and toss.  Let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.

With your hands, squeeze out as much water as possible from the cucumbers, and place them in a bowl.

Add sour cream, lemon juice, dill and black pepper and toss to combine.  Taste to see if more salt is needed.  Garnish with scallions.

It’s best to make the salad at least 1 hour ahead so the flavors have time to develop.