By Mama flew home Monday morning. The apartment is quieter again, but Brayden is at fifteen-and-a-half weeks now and is the kind of awake-and-alert presence that fills the apartment with his small new sounds. Dustin and I have settled into the daytime rhythm without grandparents in residence.
The cafe’s third month of service is steady. Cody is hiring a third part-time line cook for the weekend brunch service that opens in late August. Mama is now full-time front of house and managing the floor herself.
Sunday I made frozen cucumber salad because the apartment had a glut of cucumbers from the early-summer Tulsa farmers market — six cucumbers I’d bought Saturday morning at three for two dollars and that I needed to process before they aged. The frozen-salad format is one of those midwestern church-cookbook techniques that doesn’t make sense on paper but works beautifully in execution: cucumbers and onions are sliced thin, salted heavily and drained for an hour to remove water, mixed with sugar-and-vinegar dressing, and frozen in containers.
The frozen format does two things: it preserves the cucumbers for two-month-plus storage in the freezer, and it produces a particular slushy-crisp texture when partially thawed that’s distinct from any other cucumber preparation. The salad reads cold and refreshing in summer in a way no fresh cucumber salad can match.
The technique: six large cucumbers sliced very thin on a mandoline (about an eighth-inch). One large yellow onion sliced very thin. Combined in a large colander with three tablespoons of kosher salt. Drain in the sink for one full hour, tossing every fifteen minutes. The salt draws out the cucumbers’ water; what drains off is roughly two cups of cucumber-water that you do not want in the salad.
The dressing: a cup of sugar, a half-cup of white vinegar, a teaspoon of celery seed, a teaspoon of black pepper. Whisked until the sugar dissolves.
The drained cucumbers and onions transferred to a large bowl. Tossed with the dressing and a quarter-cup of fresh chopped dill. Divided into freezer-safe containers (two-cup containers work well). Frozen.
To serve: thaw a container in the fridge for an hour. The salad will be slushy-cold and crisp. Serve as a summer side with grilled meats, sandwiches, or alongside a heavier main. Three containers from one batch lasted us through late August.
Salt and drain one hour. Sugar-vinegar dressing. Freeze in containers. Thaw an hour to serve. Here’s the build.
Frozen Cucumber Salad
Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 0 minutes | Total Time: 15 minutes + 2 hours freezing | Servings: 8
Ingredients
- 4 medium cucumbers, thinly sliced
- 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup white vinegar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon celery seed
Instructions
- Prep the vegetables. Thinly slice the cucumbers and onion and place them together in a large mixing bowl.
- Make the brine. In a separate bowl or large measuring cup, whisk together the sugar, white vinegar, salt, and celery seed until the sugar is fully dissolved.
- Combine. Pour the brine over the cucumbers and onions. Stir well to coat everything evenly.
- Freeze. Transfer the mixture to a freezer-safe container or zip-top bags. Freeze for at least 2 hours, or until partially frozen through.
- Serve. Remove from the freezer 10–15 minutes before serving to let it thaw slightly to a slushy, icy texture. Serve cold as a refreshing side dish.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 115 | Protein: 1g | Fat: 0g | Carbs: 28g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 295mg