Smitten Kitchen: Salad Days Start Here

What exactly does that mean - salad days?  I (erroneously) thought it's when you were young and poor and all you could afford was salad.  But with the state of food availability in the United States, the affluent are the ones who eat salads all the time and the poor eat fast food burgers and pizza, so that didn't make sense...

It turns out that "salad days" refers to the time when you're young and GREEN, but not necessarily poor, although those three do oftentimes go together!

As we approach Memorial Day and the real beginning of grilling season, we still need some awesome salads no matter what we're throwing on the barbie, and whether we're in our salad days or not.

Here's a super easy, inexpensive and delicious salad that you can make with your eyes closed - well, not exactly, unless you're one of those TV chefs who can chop without looking.

Photo by the Smitten Kitchen

Vinegar Slaw with Cucumbers and Dill 
adapted from the Smitten Kitchen by Deb Perelman

1 medium head green cabbage
1 seedless cucumber (the kind wrapped in plastic where you can eat the peel because it's so thin)
2 Tablespoons of chopped fresh dill
1/2 cup white wine vinegar
2 Tablespoons of kosher salt
4 teaspoons of sugar
1/2 cup cold water

Core and thinly slice the cabbage and put in a large bowl.  Thinly slice the cucumber - no need to peel, and add to bowl.   In a small bowl, whisk together the rest of the ingredients.  Pour over the veg.
Best when marinated for an hour or two in the fridge.

Leftovers keep well, and this salad is great with anything grilled - the acid in the vinegar offsets and balances the richness of the meat.

Feel free to substitute and add:  for example, instead of cukes, use green apples or blueberries (yes, it totally works with this), or carrots.

Find The Smitten Kitchen in our Library now:  call number 641.5 PER, and enjoy the salad days of summer!

Diane Whitman
Reference Librarian
Twitter @whitlibrarian