The Cucumber Sandwiches I made were the "Modern" type. Traditionally, cucumber sandwiches were a food for the wealthy- they could afford food for pleasure rather than for nutrition. Oscar Wilde's "The Importance of Being Earnest" featured the traditional version of this sandwich. Algernon eats all the cucumber sandwiches which were intended for his guest, Lady Bracknell- and then he tells here there were no cucumbers in the market, not even for "ready money".
I thought the "modern" version sounded more tasty than the ones with just butter. They were really good! These would make good snacks or party food. I didn't have garlic or onion powder, so I used one small clove of fresh garlic, and I threw in some minced onion. I like fresh better. If you want to do the same, I would say cut a couple of slices of a medium-sized onion and mince it into fine pieces. You see how thick this is? They do NOT have to be that thick. You can spread a thin layer on each sandwich. We piled it on because we were eating it as a meal (no protein, I know!)
The Cucumber Salad I made the same day, so I could use up the cucumber slices we didn't use for the sandwiches. This was really good, but the longer it marinates, the more bitter it gets! Keep that in mind- you can add less vinegar and more sugar if you like. I used the exact quantities that this recipe required. I followed the advice of a reviewer and salted the cucumbers before adding the marinade, and I added the dill to the vinegar, sugar, and water on the stove before boiling. It came out great! It tasted like fresh, crispy pickles. This would go great at a barbeque. It's light and tangy. I didn't use 4 cucumbers though, so keep in mind that my veggies were swimming in sauce. It's best the next day.
No comments:
Post a Comment