HFF 6.22: Remember, Remember

The Challenge: Remember, Remember. It may not be November 5, but try cooking a dish from minimal instructions. Or try a dish that would be easy to memorize. 

The Recipe: Cucumbers "en salade" from Eliza Acton's Modern Cookery for Private Families.

TOMATAS EN SALADE
These are now often served in England in the American fashion merely sliced and dressed like cucumbers with salt pepper oil and vinegar.

The Date/Year and Region: 1845 (4th edition), London

 

How Did You Make It: I peeled and sliced two cucumbers, added a small splash of vinegar, drizzle of olive oil (aka "salad oil"), and a dash each of salt and pepper.

 

Time to Complete: Not more than five minutes.

 

Total Cost: Home-grown cucumbers, and only a token amount of pantry staples, so I don't have a cost estimate.

 

How Successful Was It?: Tasted like fresh cucumber with a hint of vinegar. I think a little more olive oil and salt wouldn't go amiss, since I didn't really notice them changing the flavor, but overall this was a refreshing dish, and simple to make. I will definitely use it again, especially in late summer when I have a surplus of cucumbers and tomatoes.

How Accurate Is It? I used a modern variety of cucumber, since I couldn't find heirloom cucumber starts for my garden, but otherwise I think I followed the recipe. Or description.

Cucumbers left center, in front of Quin's standing pie.

[I technically made it ahead of the challenge window, because I had a event for which I needed an easy-to-transport savory dish in early November and also needed to use the last two cucumbers from my summer garden while they were still fresh. I nearly made this with the last of my tomatoes as well, but they were just a little too soft when I went to prepare them. By coincidence, this was actually on November 5.]