By August has settled into its full heat and I am managing it the way I always do — staying inside during the worst of the afternoon, cooking in the morning when the kitchen is bearable, sitting on the back porch in the evenings when the air drops to something survivable. My Alabama August kitchen practice: start before eight, finish before two, abandon the stove entirely from two to five, return after dark.
The tomatoes are at their peak right now and I am making the most of it. I made a tomato galette this week — a recipe I developed myself over several summers, freeform pastry, thick-sliced heirlooms, fresh thyme from the garden, a smear of Dijon on the crust. It is one of those recipes where the quality of the main ingredient is everything and in August in Alabama the main ingredient is exactly right. I brought one to Bernice's Table as an extra this week and the response was what good food always gets: silence first, then questions. What is that? What's in the crust? Can you make it without the mustard?
Kezia sat in on the whole week of summer Saturdays and this one I let her make the galette from my notes while I watched. She got the crust thinner than I usually do, which turned out to be better. I told her that. She said, I thought it seemed right when I was doing it. I said, trusting that is most of cooking. She nodded and wrote it down: trusting what seems right. That is a lesson that takes most people years to learn and she is writing it in a notebook at sixteen. She is going to be fine.
The galette was the star that week, but every star needs a supporting cast. When I’m slicing heirloom tomatoes and rolling out pastry in the morning cool, I always make a bowl of this cucumber salad to sit alongside it — something cold and sharp to balance all that warm, rich crust and soft tomato. Kezia ate half the bowl before I even got the galette out of the oven, and I took that as a review. This is the recipe I reach for every August when the cucumbers are coming in almost as fast as the tomatoes and I need something that takes five minutes and no heat at all.
Cucumber Salad with Miracle Whip
Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 0 minutes | Total Time: 10 minutes (plus 1 hour chilling) | Servings: 6
Ingredients
- 3 large cucumbers, peeled and thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup Miracle Whip
- 2 tablespoons white vinegar
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion
- 1 tablespoon fresh dill, chopped (or 1 teaspoon dried dill)
Instructions
- Slice the cucumbers. Peel the cucumbers and slice them as thin as you can manage — a mandoline works well, but a sharp knife and patience will do. Place the slices in a large bowl with the sliced red onion.
- Make the dressing. In a small bowl, whisk together the Miracle Whip, white vinegar, sugar, salt, pepper, and garlic powder until smooth and well combined.
- Toss and season. Pour the dressing over the cucumbers and onion. Add the fresh dill and toss gently until everything is evenly coated.
- Chill. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving. The salad is best after a few hours when the cucumbers have released some of their liquid into the dressing and the flavors have melded together.
- Serve cold. Give the salad a gentle stir before serving. It will keep in the refrigerator for up to 2 days, though it’s best on the first day.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 90 | Protein: 1g | Fat: 6g | Carbs: 9g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 310mg