Cucumbers, Onions and Cherries
Wow. That title sounds really gross. I mean, who would ever try to combine all those things in the same recipe? Afternoon? Blog?
To be truthful...which I sometimes am, they were separate inspirations that just happened to happen on the same day. Let me explain...
When I was little, I grew up in a family from the midwest. Cedar Rapids, Iowa to be exact. My dad made amazing food. He was the chef in the family as my mom worked all day making the money to provide and to pay for our Seattle suburbia addictions (food, clothes and food).
I remember coming home from school, maybe since kindergarten, opening the fridge as any young kid would do, and seeing the glorious, delightful, flavorful tub (industrial Tupperware™ container) of pickled cucumbers and onions. I remember seeing that white plastic tub of weirdness and thinking, "do I like those? will that take care of my hunger? make me somewhat happy to be home and eating? (I was an OCD, ADD, Creative child...shut up).
I also have a love for cherries. The kind you put in a good drink. I made some today, pitted them, soaked them in love and brandy...you're gonna want to read that blog too!
So, I dived in, dove in, whatever. (My mom has her doctorate in education...so I sure as heck better get it straight!)
The cold, crunch, tangy, salty, sweet taste in my mouth was my favorite.
All of my friends would ride their bikes to the tiny store close to my home just off Lake Sammamish called "Henningers" or "The Little Store" to buy candy and all that crap. I hated it. Except for a good ol' payday. I loves me my payday.
I would stay home and eat a bowl of these lovely cucumbers and onions. They made me feel like it was Summer. Always. And my dad always made them and had them in the fridge. So I ate them. Daily. They went perfectly with...a fork. Seriously. I didn't care about "pairing" then. I just wanted the cold, crunchy flavor of the sweet cucumbers and Walla Walla Sweet Onions in my mouth. At precisely 1:53pm after school*. (*We lived where our school levy's always failed. So all we studied then was Reading, Writing and Arithmetic. Thus, a five hour school day. Didn't suck).
So, now that I'm older than 7, I wanted to reproduce this lovely snack. So with much research and passion, I have recreated the lovely dish my dad made.
I loved my dad, a funny man who was more creative and passionate about life than I ever gave him credit for.
Here's our secret recipe for my dad's pickled cucumbers and onions...I call them;
"My Dad's Pickled Cucumbers and Onions!"
4 decent sized cucumbers, peeled and cleaned
1 Large onion cut into the shape you like to eat them
4 Cups Apple Cider Vinegar (The Cheaper, the Better)
1/8 Cup Sugar (Your call on this, I like it...my dad added more!)
2 tsp Salt
2tsp fresh ground pepper
1 tsp red pepper flakes (my dad would roll over in his...heavenly home if he knew I put these in)
Put all these ingredients in a decent tub. Large Tupperware™ type of container. It's about half a gallon at the end of the day. Let these ingredients sit for a good couple o' days. However, I eat some the second I add all the stuff. Makes me feel like a kid again. Enjoy!
(If you enjoy these recipes, check out the recipes page on the www.meaneycafe.com recipe page.)