On Tue 20 May 2008 04:12:13a, Margaret Suran told us...

> ChattyCathy wrote:
>> On Tue, 20 May 2008 05:10:23 -0400, Stan Horwitz wrote:
>>
>> <snippety>
>>> Anyway, slice four large kirby cucumbers (I prefer regular cukes
>>> though). Slice them as thin as you can. Slice a small or medium size
>>> onion and shred one carrot (or finely dice it). I use a $20 vegetable
>>> slicer; its a poor man's mandolin, but it works fine.
>>
>> A question Stan. I thought kirby cukes were pretty small? I don't see
them
>> often 'round here but we do get plenty regular and English cukes too. I
>> think I might try the English, because the skins are not as tough...
>>
>>> Then I put the cucumber, carrot, and onion in a large zip lock bag and
>>> mix them up so the onion and sliced cucumbers are evenly distributed.
>>> The original recipe says to add in half a teaspoon of white pepper, but
>>> I don't like that stuff (it has no flavor), so I use a bit of regular
>>> ground pepper instead. Then I add in one cup of Splenda (the recipe
>>> calls for regular sugar). Next, goes in four cups of Heinz white
>>> vinegar. Close the bag tightly and mix up the ingredients thoroughly by
>>> shaking the bag vigorously.
>>>
>>> Note that I am not sure about the amounts of sweetener and vinegar. The
>>> idea with the vinegar is to have enough to cover the sliced vegies, but
>>> not drench them. I would start with half a cup of sweetener and just
see
>>> how it looks after you add in everything else.
>>
>> Ah - was gonna ask about the amounts... I am gonna use sugar, so how
>> 'sweet' is this supposed to be? Just sweet-ish or fairly sweet? Or is
that
>> sort of 'personal preference'?
>>
>> <more snippety>
>>
>> Thanks, this sounds like it's worth a shot.
>
> Don't use English Cucumbers. The vinegar makes the thin slices mushy if
> there is left over salad.
>
> After slicing the cukes, most people let them rest until they release
> some of the liquid, which can be drained or even squeezed out by hand.
>
> As for the sweeteners, I use a pinch of sugar(about 1/4 teaspoon or
> less) for four large cucumbers and just enough white vinegar to cover
> the sliced vegetables. If that is too acidy, a little water may be
added.
>
> I do not use carrots, but do use onions or scallions, as well as salt,
> if needed and freshly ground black pepper.
>
> This is the Viennese way to make Gurkensalat.
>

And one of the best, Margaret. I learned to make that from a highschool
classmate's mother. She was born and raised in Austria.

--
Wayne Boatwright
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Tuesday, 05(V)/20(XX)/08(MMVIII)
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