Maria’s Cucumber Tomato Salad

This is such a simple, yet delicious, salad that I enjoyed on numerous occasions with my friend, Maria.

During graduate school when we needed something quick to eat, we would go to the grocery store and pick up some ready-made chicken tenders to eat with stone-ground mustard and make this salad to accompany it.

Maria’s Cucumber Tomato Salad

2 cucumbers

3 Roma tomatoes

4 T olive oil

salt, to taste

pepper, to taste

1 t dried basil

Cut up cucumbers and tomatoes into bite-sized pieces. Toss with olive oil, salt, pepper and dried basil. Enjoy especially with grilled meat.

Cucumber Kimchi

Many kimchis are best after some fermentation, but I like cucumber kimchi to be very fresh. I think it tastes best soon after preparation, but it can last for one or two weeks in the fridge.  It is nice to eat as a side dish with grilled meat, or as a meal on its own with steamed rice. One of my favorite things to do is to pile it on top of cold soba noodles with some of the brine.

Cucumber Kimchi (Oi Kimchi or Oi Muchim)

2 -3 English cucumbers, cut in half and then cut into 1/4" thick half moon pieces (any other cucumber will work if you remove the large seeds)
1 T salt
1-2 T Korean chili flakes, go chu ka ru (found in most Asian markets)
3 green onions, white part chopped, green part cut in 1" pieces
1/4 c onion, chopped
2 T garlic, chopped
1 T toasted sesame seeds
1 T sesame oil
1 T sugar
2-3 T rice vinegar

Put the cucumber in a large bowl and sprinkle with salt. Set the bowl aside for several hours to overnight to let the cucumber release their juice. The brine that results is delicious. Toss the cucumbers with the remaining ingredients. Enjoy!