This refreshing tomato-cucumber salad is commonly served all summer long in Ukraine.
Since it’s such a simple recipe, the freshest, ripest vegetables really make it shine.
But in the author’s family, it’s all about the sunflower oil.
Photo: Photographer: Rachel Marek, Food stylist: Annie Probst
I remember daily trips to the corner store with my friends to buy milky “plombir” ice cream.
And of course, I remember this juicy, herby, tomato-cucumber salad.
Back then, now going on 22 years ago, we ate locally and seasonally by default.
(My mom also pickled them for the winters.)
The classic accompaniment is rye bread (aka “black bread”).
The high point of the salad’s journey?
The vegetables we have year-round, however, are mostly tasteless; yet nonetheless, the salad persists.
Whenever I go over to my parents' house for dinner, it’s always part of the meal.
(After two decades in the States, their feelings toward lettuce-based American salads are lukewarm at best.)
It’s like an accessory we just can’t live without.
After all, we all know that great ingredients require little effort to shine.
Halve lengthwise, then thinly slice on the diagonal.
Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.
Note
Unrefined sunflower oilhas a nutty flavor and is readily available in Russian/Ukrainian markets or online.
- Daily Values (DVs) are the recommended amounts of nutrients to consume each day.
(-) Information is not currently available for this nutrient.
