Marinated salads – my new summer favorite

 

Bean salad with a salmon patty--a favorite lunch

In summer, my mom always kept in the fridge a container of cucumbers and sliced onions floating in a mix of equal parts vinegar and water, with a liberal sprinkling of salt and pepper. I’ve taken up mom’s habit, except I add a pinch of sugar to soften the vinegar a bit. You kind of have to do it by personal taste.

But sugar has been either a problem or a continuing source of amusement for me this summer. I’m amazed at the amount of sugar called for in lots of recipes, but especially  marinated salads. A friend in California who shares recipes online sent her recipe for Catalina dressing, which Christian likes on taco salad. But it had something like a cup of sugar—I used a tsp. The ranch dressing recipe was similar.

I’ve been keeping at least one summer salad as snack source all summer—the beloved three bean salad (my recipe calls for one tsp honey), various bean salads (there are so many recipes!), even pea salad, although it doesn’t keep as long as the others. Sometimes I substitute a sour cream dressing for the cucumber but, again, the shelf life isn’t as long as the vinegar-based salads. Sometimes the salad of the week is the classic Texas caviar (see Gourmet on a Hot Plate: Texas Caviar - CORRECTION)

Christian likes our marinated salads, but Jordan and I are the ones who eat the most. We can easily make a lunch of a small bowl of cottage cheese and bit of salad. Here’s one she particularly likes:

Corn and black bean salad

1 can black beans

1 can black-eyed peas

1-1/2 cups frozen corn, cook and cooled

½ cup finely chopped red onion

2 garlic cloves, minced

Dressing

½ tsp. sugar

2 Tbsp. white vinegar

2 Tbsp. vegetable oil

1-1/2 tsp. fresh lime juice     

¼ tsp. each salt and pepper

How I changed the recipe: originally it called for two Tbsp. sugar, but I cut that down to ½ tsp. The recipe also called for two large tomatoes, chopped—they would add color and flavor to the salad, but for something I was going to keep in the refrigerator for a week or so, they weren’t a good choice. The quality would deteriorate much more quickly than the beans and corn. Canola oil was specified in the recipe, but I have heard contradictory reports on it, including that it will upset your stomach, so I used good old vegetable oil. I think olive oil would add an out of place taste. Finally, the dressing added 1⁄4 tsp. cumin. My mom disliked cumin, so maybe I inherited that. I think it improves some recipes, but it added a discordant taste to this salad the first time I made it. Feel free to try it if you like cumin better than I do.

Refrigerate at least two hours before serving.

I am also loving onions this summer, especially the Texas sweet. Did you know you can easily pickle them in your fridge and use them for accents on everything from hamburgers and sandwiches to salads or to garnish a meatloaf or a steak.

Pickled onion

One large onion, sweet Texas, Vidalia, or red, thinly sliced

½ cup apple cider vinegar

1 tsp. sugar

1-1/2 tsp. salt

1 cup water, hot but not boiling

Pack the sliced onions into a bowl or wide-mouth canning jar. Mix remaining ingredients and stir to dissolve sugar and salt. Pour warm mixture over onion and let it sit for an hour. Be sure all the onion is submerged in liquid. Cover and refrigerate.

You can play with this basic recipe—using white wine vinegar or white vinegar, rice vinegar, etc. Try substituting honey for the sugar. Try pickling tiny baby onions if you often serve cocktails.