Green Bean Salad and Cucumber Salad

It’s summer salad season! If you come to Opi’s Haus there is about a 100% chance you will be served some refreshing summer salads. They come in a variety of flavors from beet to radish but two of my favorite are the green bean and the cucumber salads. They can accompany just about any meal and make the perfect crunchy side dish. The recipes are similar…a little olive oil and vinegar, salt and pepper, a pinch of sugar. For the string beans I use red wine vinegar and for the cucumbers white wine vinegar. The beans get a handful of finely chopped red onion and the cucumbers a handful of caraway seeds. They both get made well ahead of time so they can sit and soak in their juices before serving.

Austrian Green Bean Salad

2 pounds of green beans, trimmed
1/3 cup of good olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 tsp sugar
1 small red onion finely diced
Salt and Pepper to taste

Start by making the vinaigrette. Mix the vinegar, sugar and salt and pepper in a bowl. Gently stream in the olive oil whisking to combine. Toss in the onion and let everything marinate while the beans are cooking.

Steam the beans to crisp tender. Drain and immediately toss the warm beans with the vinaigrette. Dressing the warm beans is an important step. Let sit for at least a couple of hours, up to a couple of days. The taste intensifies as the beans soak in the vinaigrette.

 

Austrian Cucumber Salad

Two large cucumbers (I prefer the seedless English)
A large pinch of salt
1/4 cup of white wine vinegar
2 Tbls good olive oil
1/2 tsp sugar
A handful of caraway seeds
Salt and Pepper to taste

Peel and thinly slice the cucumbers. I use a wooden mandoline but the job could also be accomplished with patience and a sharp knife. Toss with salt and let sit for 30 minutes in a colander. Allowing the cucumbers to drain in this way prevents the moisture from diluting the salad. Without this step you will just wind up with some flavorless cucumbers floating in a pool of water. Make the vinaigrette, which is basically the same process as with the green beans. Mix the vinegar, sugar, caraway seeds and salt/pepper. Whisk in the oil .

Squeeze the extra moisture out of the cucumbers and pat dry with a towel, then toss the cucumbers with the vinaigrette and let marinate for a few hours.

Note: If Tante Lizzie is coming for dinner make a double batch of cucumber salad.