cucumber and radish salad

Every Sunday morning, I plan our meals for the week.  It usually involves scouring cookbooks, favorite food blogs, searching through hundreds of unorganized bookmarks (I should really do something about that), and writing my own recipes.  For the past few weeks, I’ve abandoned that process altogether and have just gone produce shopping with only a vague idea of what to cook.  This has mostly worked out fine, but I’m always left with uneaten produce at the end of the week. My eyes are bigger than what our appetites can handle, it seems.

As I raided the fridge on Sunday to start preparing dinner, I found two forgotten Persian cucumbers from the week before.  They don’t show up at my local produce market very often. So I tossed them in my basket and made a mental note to make mast-o khiar, a yogurt-based Persian cucumber dip.  Then I forgot about them.  For a whole week.  Tsk, tsk.

Like English and Japanese cucumbers, Persian cucumbers don’t need to be peeled or seeded.  For this salad, you can certainly use common cucumbers available at your local supermarket or garden.  Though I suggest peeling the cucumbers, since the skins are thick and bitter.  This salad made for a cool, refreshing side dish, but it would also be great in a wrap or pita with tahini dressing, chickpeas, and alfalfa sprouts.

Cucumber and Radish Salad
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2 medium Persian cucumbers, sliced and chopped into small pieces
4 radishes, thinly sliced and chopped into small pieces
1/2 cup red onion, diced
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
1/4 cup parsley, chopped
2 tablespoons mint, chopped
1 teaspoon ground sumac
salt & pepper, to taste

In a large bowl, whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, sumac, salt, and pepper.  Add the cucumbers, radishes, onion, and toss together.  Now, add the fresh mint and parsley and toss together until thoroughly mixed.  If necessary, season with more salt and pepper and serve.

Serves 4-6 as a side dish

Try the recipe index for more ideas.

Related posts:

1. feta and cucumber salad
2. mast-o khiar (persian yogurt and cucumber dip)
3. mint and cucumber noodles with tahini dressing
4. bulgur and lentil salad
5. kale salad with honey dressing and pine nuts

Tags: gluten-free, middle eastern, side dish, vegan, vegetarian