CUCUMBER SALAD - UBORKA SALÁTA

I like it with sour cream, but the Jim doesn't, so we always had two kinds of cucumber salad at our table. The sour cream version is most often served in Hungary and the one without it is for the minority, I think, simply because sour cream is the crowning of oh so many Hungarian dishes. The good news is you can make it all at once and at the end just take some cucumber out and combine it with the sour cream. If you use the sour cream, 14% gives the best results.

CUCUMBER SALAD
1 or 2 English cucumbers
1 Tbsp salt
1 cup water
sugar and vinegar to taste
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup sour cream [optional]

• Peel the cucumbers and slice them very thin.
• Sprinkle generously with salt and let stand for 30 minutes.

• Meanwhile make a pleasant brine from water, sugar, and vinegar. Set aside.

• Squeeze out most of the juice from the cucumbers.
• Discard the juice and place cucumbers in the brine.
• Stir in the minced garlic and let flavours merge for 30 minutes.
• With a slotted spoon move the cucumber to a serving dish.
• Stir in the sour cream and serve.
• For a different type of cucumber salad, leave the cucumbers in the brine and sprinkle with Hungarian paprika or ground pepper or both.

• Always, always seal cucumber and garlic combinations before storing in the fridge.

   The way Jim likes it, with Hungarian Paprika, no sour cream.