Cucumber Salad

– with a homemade Italian dressing

Easy; refreshing and so tasty. This is a salad I like to make in advance; it’s best to let it marinate in refrigerator. Obviously amount of cucumbers and scallions (or thinly sliced mild white onion) can be changed. This was for 4…actually 3 of us. And there was just enough left for my daughter to add it to her work lunch next day.

Salad ingredients

2 cucumbers, peeled, seeded and sliced thin

2 – 3 scallions (green onions), sliced thin, I do both white and green parts.

Put those 2 ingredients in a bowl. I sprinkled a pinch of salt and a pinch of sugar on them, tossed before adding dressing.

Dressing for cucumber salad:

Vinaigrette Ingredients

1/4 cup red wine vinegar (I use white balsamic vinegar however it is not as readily available)
1 clove garlic
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
fresh basil, sliced fine (optional)

Directions

In a blender, add vinegar, garlic, mustard, salt and pepper. Blend until the garlic is finely chopped (and basil if using). With the machine running, drizzle in the olive oil until the dressing is smooth.

Other options can include oregano, a pinch of pepperoncino (crushed red pepper flakes), parmesan to taste.

I dress this salad lightly. Drizzled a little over it and tossed till well coated. Let marinade in fridge at least 30 minutes.

Our favorite shop here is

Dolce Vita Italian Grocer

But there are a couple other places we like…a lot! Like Queen Creek Olive Mill