"For this wonderfully refreshing summer salad, diced cucumber and onion are cured with salt for about 30 minutes, which draws moisture from the cucumber and makes it crunchy. I like to use mild white Vidalia or Maui onions, which give a good crunch but not a strong, sharp taste. I season the salad with sour cream and Tabasco, but it can also be dressed with oil and vinegar." --Jacques Pépin
Recipe: Cucumber, Onion, and Mint Salad
Serves 4
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Ingredients:
- 1 large English (seedless) cucumber (about 1 pound)
- 1 cup diced (1⁄2-inch) mild onion
- 1 1⁄2 teaspoons salt
- 2 tablespoons shredded fresh mint leaves
- 1⁄2 cup sour cream
- 1⁄2 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
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Instructions:
- Peel the cucumber and cut it lengthwise in half. Using the tip of a teaspoon, scrape out the seeds. Cut the flesh into 1⁄2-inch dice. (You should have about 2 1⁄2 cups.)
- Combine the cucumber and diced onion in a bowl, sprinkle with the salt, and mix well. Let cure for 30 minutes.
- Drain the cucumber mixture in a colander and pat dry with paper towels. Combine with the rest of the ingredients and serve.
Recipe from Heart & Soul in the Kitchen by Jacques Pépin. Copyright © 2015 by Jacques Pépin. Used by permission of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.