Swedish Pickled Cucumbers

It's that time of year again! Time to get out your cukes and make

SWEDISH PICKLED CUCUMBERS
1 lb. cucumbers (you can use English or Persian or whatever you have, really)

Pickling solution:
2 parts white vinegar
1 part granulated sugar
½ part water
white pepper and dill to taste

If the skins of your cucumbers are unpalatably thick or knobbly, peel them first. Slice thinly into coins. If you have a mandoline to make this task easier, so much the better.

In a saucepan, mix together the vinegar, sugar and water and heat, stirring, just until the sugar dissolves. Allow to cool COMPLETELY. (If you add the cucumbers to the solution before it cools, the cucumbers will shrivel.) Also, try a bit of this solution first to see if it's to your taste, and adjust accordingly. It should taste sweet, but have a significant sour kick.

Stir the cucumbers into the cooled pickling solution, along with some grinds of white pepper and as much dill (fresh or dried) as you feel like using. Cover and refrigerate, preferably overnight. Serve as a tasty side dish.

Variations: I've seen other recipes where folks add things like a sliver of ginger, thin-sliced red onions or whole yellow mustard seeds. Let me know how it goes if you use these.

Makes a nice nod to the notion of "salads" at your Julbord. Enjoy!

Contributor: Karl Eriksson and the nation of Sweden

Potato Salad

Everyone in the fam who makes this has tweaked it to some extent, but this is the way Grandma Eriksson made hers.

POTATO SALAD
Salad:
about 6 medium-sized russet potatoes
6 boiled eggs, peeled and chopped
2-3 stalks celery, chopped
1 bunch green onions, trimmed and finely chopped
1 small can chopped olives, drained
1 jar pimentos, drained and chopped
2-3 medium-sized dill pickles, chopped
1-2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
about 4 oz. boiled luncheon ham, diced
salt and pepper

Dressing:
1 cup mayonnaise
2 T. yellow mustard
a little pickle juice to achieve dressing consistency

Boil potatoes in their skins. When they are fork-tender, remove them from the boiling water, place them on a plate and allow them to cool. Peel the potatoes, cut them into about ½" dice, and place in a large bowl. Add eggs, celery, green onions, olives, pimentos, pickles, parsley and ham; stir gently to combine. In a smaller bowl, mix together the dressing ingredients and fold the dressing gently into the salad. Salt and pepper salad to taste. Refrigerate a few hours before serving to allow flavors to blend. Check flavors and adjust seasoning if needed before serving.

Makes, I don't know, about 8 servings.

Contributor: Norma Eriksson

Tabbouleh

If you can get really ripe tomatoes, make this to fully appreciate their lusciousness. It takes a lot of mincing but the results are worth it.

TABBOULEH
½ cup medium or fine bulgur wheat
½ cup onion, minced
½ teaspoon ground allspice
½ teaspoon or more pepper, freshly ground
1-2 teaspoons salt
3 cups parsley, minced
½ cup green onions, minced
2 cups ripe tomatoes, minced
1½ cups fresh spearmint leaves, minced
1 cup cucumber, peeled, seeded and minced
½ cup fresh lemon juice
¾ cup olive oil
romaine or other leaves for serving

Soak bulgur wheat in lukewarm water to cover by ½" for about an hour, then drain in a sieve.

In a small bowl, combine minced onion with allspice, pepper and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine parsley, green onions, tomatoes, spearmint and cucumber. Gently fold in the drained bulgur and seasoned onions.

Refrigerate until an hour before serving, then dress salad with lemon and oil. Surround with romaine leaves, using them to scoop up the salad in juicy bites.

Serves a few people. (I can't remember.)

You can also use this as an excellent sandwich filling for a pita, along with some good hummus. Messy and delicious.

Stolen from the Internet by Sooz, muahahaha.

Desi Chickpea Salad

Chickpeas, aka garbanzo beans, are tasty and very good for you -- and if you buy them dried and cook them at home, they are also WAY cheaper than the canned kind. (Do it the easy way and cook them in a slow cooker; then you can freeze them and use 'em whenever the urge takes you.) Anyway, having recently visited my friendly neighborhood Indian grocery store, I had a whole lotta cooked desi chickpeas (the dark brown kind) and a family to feed, so I came up with this:

DESI CHICKPEA SALAD
1½ cups cooked desi chickpeas
1 jalapeño pepper, stemmed, seeded and minced
about 1 cup red onion, minced
2 medium tomatoes, finely chopped
juice of 1 lime or lemon
chat masala powder to taste
salt to taste

In a bowl, mix together chickpeas, jalapeño, onion and tomatoes. Add lime juice and chat masala and toss well. Taste for seasoning and add salt if needed. Chill until ready to serve.

Makes 4 generous servings or 6 side-dish servings.

NOTE TO SPICY 'FRAIDY CATS: Don't be scared of the jalapeño! If you take the seeds and pith out, all that's left is flavor without excessive heat. Just be careful not to wipe your eyes after mincing it up. Learn from my fail.

Contributor: Soozcat

Mexicali Salad

Grandma used to make this one a lot. You may remember it from childhood. If you don't, you probably need to remember it from adulthood.

MEXICALI SALAD
1 lb. ground beef
1 15 oz. can kidney beans, drained
¼ teaspoon salt
1 onion, chopped
4 tomatoes, chopped
1 large head lettuce, chopped
1 can black olives, drained
1 large avocado, sliced
1 package tortilla chips, crushed
4 oz. cheddar cheese, grated
8 oz. Thousand Island dressing
hot sauce to taste

In a saucepan, brown ground beef. Add kidney beans and salt and simmer for 10 minutes. Set aside.

In a large bowl (this is gonna feed a dozen people!), mix together onion, tomatoes, lettuce, olives and avocado. Toss salad ingredients with beef and bean mixture.

Before serving, add tortilla chips, cheese and Thousand Island dressing and toss to mix. Serve with hot sauce.

Makes 12 servings. That's right, 12. Call up all your friends.

Contributor: Norma Eriksson

Elegant Chicken Salad

From the always-elegant Auntie Kathie.

ELEGANT CHICKEN SALAD
Dressing:
⅔ cup mayonnaise
¼ cup milk
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
2 teaspoons onion, grated
salt and pepper to taste

Chicken:
1 3-4 lb. frying chicken
1 medium onion, quartered
1 bay leaf
2 cups celery, with leaves
1 small carrot

Vegetables:
1 cup green pepper, diced
1 lb. green seedless grapes
2 cups celery, chopped
1 small can pimientos, chopped (optional)
¾ cup walnuts, coarsely chopped

First, mix together dressing ingredients in a small bowl, cover and chill.

In a 6-quart saucepan or Dutch oven, add all chicken ingredients and enough water to cover. Bring rapidly to a boil, then cover and simmer 1 hour. Remove chicken and chill until it's easy to handle, then remove chicken from bones and cut into bite-sized pieces. (The boiled veggies and broth can be used to make soup later.)

In a bowl, mix together chicken and vegetables. Pour chilled dressing over all and toss lightly to coat. Serve in chilled lettuce cups, or as a filling for pita pocket sandwiches.

Serves a lot, because that's how we do things in this clan!

Contributor: Kathleen Ashton

Kari Sue's Broccoli Salad

OK, truth to tell, many of the aunties make this salad, but since my mommy phoned me to give me the recipe, she gets the credit!

KARI SUE'S BROCCOLI SALAD
Salad:
2 heads broccoli, washed and broken into bite-sized florets
½ lb. bacon, cooked until crisp and crumbled
1 small red onion, minced
¾ cup raisins
½ cup hulled sunflower seeds

Dressing:
1 cup mayonnaise
½ cup sugar
¼ cup cider vinegar

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients for salad. (If you find you have a very strong red onion, mince it and then rinse it in a sieve under cold running water to help reduce some of the pungency.) In a smaller bowl, whisk together all ingredients for dressing; pour over salad and mix well.  Chill several hours in the refrigerator before serving. Makes 8-10 servings as a side salad.

Contributor: Karin Buck, neener neener.

Marinated Vegetable Salad

This may be used as a salad or a relish. Yes, "it's a lovely relish dish!"

MARINATED VEGETABLE SALAD
½ lb. small fresh mushrooms, washed
1 pint cherry tomatoes, washed and cut in half
1 head cauliflower, washed and broken into florets
1 head broccoli, washed and broken into florets
1 can black olives, drained
1 bottle Kraft Zesty Italian salad dressing
1 envelope dry Italian salad dressing mix

In a large bowl, mix together all vegetables. Shake salad dressing mix over the top, then add the bottle of Kraft dressing. Stir gently to mix well, cover, put in the fridge and let marinate at least 4 hours, stirring every now and then to turn vegetables in the marinade. Serves 7-8 as a salad.

Mom sez, "Put the mushrooms in the bottom so they can really soak up the marinade."

I also like to add a container of marinated artichoke hearts (drained) just before serving, but it isn't necessary. IT'S JUST SUPER GOOD!

Contributor: Karin Buck