People often ask me what inspired me to cook — when it happened, why it happened, etc.  I have a myriad of memories that led to me becoming the cook I am today, from being inspired by my sister when she was a pastry chef to becoming obsessed with Food Network when I was 17. The earliest memory of the bunch being an odd obsession with this gorgeous illustrated copy of “The Junior Fannie Farmer Cookbook” in my elementary school’s library when I was 8 or so.  It was only recently I remembered it and brought it up to my mother, who remarked nostalgically “I thought it was so bizarre at the time.”  Thanks, Mom!

But currently it’s my maternal grandmother Esther’s recipes that inspire me the most right now.  I never got to meet her, sadly, but in a way, I feel like I got the ‘cooking gene’ from her.  Although she mostly cooked at home, the rare exception would be Fish Fry Fridays at the bar my grandparents owned many moons ago called “Stick’s Tap” in downtown Milwaukee.  The only recipe we have from Stick’s is her coleslaw (also a winner), but my mother keeps all her other recipes in this ancient little wooden box under our microwave at home, and they’re always incredibly simple, cheap, and tasty.  Few are very summer-friendly (mostly awesome heavy meat action, thick sauces, etc.) but this (like the coleslaw) is one of the exceptions.

I like to think of this dish as ‘pickles unpickled.’  It’s like eating the pickling jar contents before you boil, seal and let sit for a few weeks.  Don’t approach this dish if you’re afraid of vinegar, that’s all I can say.  It’s got a handful of ingredients often seen in dill pickles, comes together in about 15 minutes, and can be eaten straight away, or chilled for a bit if you prefer it a little more refreshing. This is a popular side dish in any Slavic cuisine (for my family this means Polish but I saw something similar to this dish everywhere when I lived in Russia).  It’s sweet, sour, cold, and a fantastic side dish for any grilling or BBQ.

Grandma Esther’s Sweet and Sour Cucumbers

Makes 4 servings

My grandma’s original recipe was quite heavy on the sour cream (because she was so awesome) so to keep things light and fresh, I go heavy with the vinegar to tone down the creaminess and add fresh dill to keep things summery.

Ingredients

• 2 English (seedless) cucumbers, sliced thin (about ¼” thick, you can go peeled or unpeeled here, whatever you fancy)
• 1 small, plain yellow onion, sliced very thin (almost shaved)
• ¼ cup red wine vinegar
• 2 TBL sour cream
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• salt
• pepper
• 1 TBL chopped, fresh dill

Directions

1.) Toss the sliced cucumbers with about a teaspoon of salt and then lay out on paper towels. Let stand about 15 minutes and blot off all the produced moisture (this is the bitter stuff we don’t want).  Set aside.

2.) In a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk together vinegar, sour cream, sugar, dill, and about 1/8 teaspoon pepper with 1 teaspoon salt.  Taste for seasoning and adjust as necessary.

3.) Add the cucumbers and onion and toss to coat.  Can be eaten immediately or let chill in the fridge for about a half hour before enjoying, tossing every 10 minutes or so.

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