dried chiles

Adapted from Joshua McFadden's Six Seasons, a favorite cookbook.
Made with crunchy, zebra-striped peeled cucumbers, sweet red onions and a white balsamic vinaigrette, this salad is light and bright, and perfect for warm summer days. It is my go-to cucumber salad, and once you try it you will understand why! 

Simply Dressed Cucumber &amp; Mint Salad

lb. cucumbers, any variety

kosher salt

red onion, thinly sliced

mint leaves

red pepper flakes,

white balsamic vinegar (or

olive oil

black pepper

flaky sea salt, for finishing, optional

Peel the cucumbers: for visual appeal, peel the skin in alternating stripes. Trim the ends of the cucumbers, halve lengthwise, and scoop out the seeds. Slice the cucumbers into a variety of shapes, or simply slice thinly on the bias to create half moons. Place the cucumbers in a colander and toss with 1 teaspoon kosher salt. Let sit for 30 minutes. After the 30 minutes, blot dry in a tea towel.  

Meanwhile, place the scallions in a bowl and cover with ice water. Let stand 20 minutes. Drain and dry well in a tea towel.

Combine the cucumbers, scallions, red onion, mint, crushed red pepper flakes, vinegar, and a few generous twists of black pepper in a bowl. Toss gently. Taste. Add flaky sea salt to taste. Add pepper, pepper flakes, and vinegar to taste. Once everything tastes, as Joshua McFadden says, &#8220;exciting and balanced&#8221;, add 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil. Toss again. Serve immediately. 

I was going to make this for dinner but made it during lunch and it’s all gone. Lives up to its billing.  I used small Persian cucumbers and didn’t bother seeding.   I added two small radishes I needed to use cut into matchsticks and thought since they have bite why not add them to the ice bath; it worked taking off the radish edge and in handing crunch. Perfect for NYC’s realfeel temps in three figures.

Such a refreshing twist on the classic cucumber salad! As I always say, Ali does simple things super well! Always bringing recipes that highlight and celebrate real, whole foods. 👏🏼👏🏼

Made this last night and it was so refreshing.  My husband had 2 large servings are he is not a huge fan of cucumbers.  Such an easy recipe and so delicious.  A perfect side dish.  As always, thank you!

Made this last night for guests in my summer home on the island of Crete.....huge success and a nice change from the traditional Greek salad.  Just discovered your blog and enjoy it immensely and look forward to more!

Loved this salad. Found a patch of mint growing in the garden of this old/new to us house and was so happy to go pick it. Mixed with sesame noodles this made a whole meal. 

Really delicious! I have always made traditional cucumber salad with dill, white vinegar and sugar.  Loved this version using white balsamic and crushed rep pepper - so refreshing!  It was a great way to use cucumbers from my garden. Thanks!

This was so easy to put together --- a salad with bright color and taste! Your recipes are clearly written (boosting confidence to make them! :)) and a pleasure to eat! Much appreciated! 

My new favorite cucumber recipe! So easy .... so good! Made it twice in a week... ate it all! 

You list red onion in your ingredients but fail to follow up with process for adding to salad.   Did you forget?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fCenE0zelps

This recipe comes from Joshua McFadden's Six Seasons, one of my all-time favorite cookbooks. There are a few tricks to success here, namely salting the cucumbers and letting them stand for 30 minutes before dressing them. Second: soaking scallions in ice water for 20 minutes: this not only tempers their bite but also makes them especially crisp. 

Find the full recipe here: https://alexandracooks.com/2020/07/18/go-to-cucumber-salad/

Favorite Cucumber Salad

This is a wonderful vegetarian main dish to serve in the center of your table, with tortillas or rice and a zesty green salad. Be sure to ventilate your kitchen well when you’re grilling the mushrooms and onions indoors, but, if weather permits, you can always grill them outdoors. If you’d like to make this less spicy, then feel free to leave out the dried chiles, making a simple bell pepper sauce instead. Keep this dish vegan by swapping out the sour cream for a nondairy alternative.

Grilled Portobellos With Chile Sauce, Sour Cream and Corn Nuts

red bell pepper, quartered, stem and seeds removed

plum tomato,

yellow onion,

Kosher salt (Diamond Crystal)

(10-gram) dried guajillo chile, stem and seeds removed

dried chipotle chiles

water

sour cream

lime juice

mushrooms

red onion,

cumin seeds,

garlic cloves,

maple syrup

30 grams salted, roasted corn nuts, roughly chopped

oregano leaves

Heat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit/240 degrees Celsius. Add the bell pepper, tomato and yellow onion to a medium parchment-lined rimmed baking tray, and toss with 1 1/2 teaspoons oil and a small pinch of salt.

Arrange the peppers and tomatoes skin side up on the parchment, and roast for 22 minutes, or until softened in places. Set aside, and when cool enough to handle, peel and discard the pepper and tomato skins.

As the vegetables cook, add the dried chiles to a medium heatproof bowl and pour over enough boiling water to fully submerge. Weigh down the chiles with a small saucer and let sit for 20 minutes to rehydrate.

In a small bowl, whisk together the sour cream, a tablespoon of lime juice and a tiny pinch of salt until smooth. Set aside.

Place a well-greased grill pan over high heat and ventilate your kitchen well. In a large bowl, gently toss together the mushrooms, red onion, 3 1/2 tablespoons oil and 3/4 teaspoon salt.

Once your grill is hot enough, add half the mushrooms, cap side down, and half the onions. Grill the mushrooms for 5 minutes, then flip them over and grill for another 3 minutes, or until nicely charred and cooked through. Grill the onions for 4 to 5 minutes, flipping as necessary, until charred and softened (don’t worry if the layers separate further). Transfer to a large bowl. Repeat with the remaining mushrooms and onions. When ready, toss the grilled vegetables with half of the cumin seeds, the remaining tablespoon of lime juice and 1 tablespoon of oil.

Once the chiles have soaked, remove them, discarding the water. Roughly chop the chiles, then add to a blender along with the roasted vegetables, garlic, maple syrup, 1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon/100 milliliters of fresh water, the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil and 3/4 teaspoon salt. Blitz until completely smooth and silky. If the mushrooms aren’t finished cooking, transfer the sauce to a small saucepan over medium heat, and gently warm through, stirring occasionally.

Pour the warm chile sauce onto a large platter with a lip, swirling to cover the surface of the plate. Use a spoon to drizzle over the sour cream, then top with the mushrooms, onions and any remaining juices. Sprinkle over the remaining cumin seeds, half the corn nuts and all the oregano, serving the remaining corn nuts alongside.

<p>This spicy romesco sauce is a simple twist on the classic spanish sauce that&#8217;s good on almost anything! Easy to make and easy to use!</p>


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