Serves: Six
Prep Time: 20 Minutes

This somewhat sour salad (some call it a relish) is the perfect compliment to just about any Hungarian main dish. It's quick and easy to make and fat-free to boot!

3 Cucumbers
1/3 cup White vinegar
2/3 cup Water
1 tbs. Sugar
1/2 tsp. Salt
1/4 tsp. Pepper (Fresh ground, if possible)
1/8 cup Onions, finely chopped (Optional)
1 clove Garlic, minced

1. Peel the cucumbers and slice thinly. (The slices must be almost paper thin to fully absorb the dressing).

2. Combine all the ingredients, making sure the sugar is completely dissolved.

3. Add the dressing to the cucumber slices and mix well. Top-off with a little paprika. May be served at room temperature or chilled.

– The real secret for success with this salad is thinly sliced cucumbers, They provide better taste and overall texture. I use a rotary hand slicer made by Mouli which I heartily recommend. There are some cheap knockoffs available but the results are terrible ( I know; I've tried them). I don't own a food processor but I suspect such a devise would also be capable of thin slicing.

– Avoid using really large cucumbers. They tend to be seedy and not as tasty as the smaller variety.

– Remember that the water content of the cucumbers will be drawn out, so don't base your final assessment of the taste or volume of dressing until the salad has had a chance to set (about an hour).

– Not everyone cares for a sour dressing such as this one. You can adjust the amount of vinegar and sugar to your liking.

– I have experimented with various additional ingredients including a 1/4 cup of finely diced green and/or red peppers.

– A variation of this recipe calls for the sliced cucumbers to be salted with 1 tsp. of salt and placed in the refrigerator for one hour. The liquid is then discarded and four tbs. of vinegar and water are added along with the rest of the ingredients. We can assume that this variation will result in a similar tasting salad but with very little liquid dressing.