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Simple, serene ingredients -- English cucumber, Vidalia onion, fresh dill, rice wine vinegar, lemon zest (Meyer if you've got it), and Greek yogurt
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Though you're using a sweet onion, you still want to slice it as thinly as possible.
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Amanda is away on vacation -- Merrill misses her, but knows how to have a grand time alone in the kitchen too (that rocket fuel disguised as iced coffee from Gorilla Coffee might have something to do with it).
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It also helps her make quick work of a cucumber with Amanda's nifty OXO handheld mandoline.
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The onion and cucumber get a dose of salt to soften them and wick away some moisture that might otherwise water down the dressing.
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After the salted cukes and onions spend an hour in the refrigerator, you can see how much juice would have ended up in your dressing!
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Merrill rinses away any excess salt...
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...and spreads the veggies on a clean towel to dry off.
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Amanda's technique for drying and storing washed salad greens works well here -- just roll everything up in a clean, dry kitchen towel.
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After sweating all that moisture out, it would be a shame to not dry these guys thoroughly.
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Just finishing touches remain: First, rice wine vinegar for a bit of sweet acidity.
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Then Greek yogurt and lemon zest -- Lizthechef is lucky enough to have a Meyer lemon tree in her backyard, but if you don't, regular lemon zest is just fine.
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Two tablespoons of chopped fresh dill, from a veritable dill forest
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Fold in the ingredients till you have a nice, even blanket of dressing -- this tastes great now, and even better after chilling for an hour.
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Japanese cucumbers are skinnier than standard cukes. These, and feathery shiso leaves, are the key to this dish.
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Teri calls for apple cider vinegar, which is more mellow than white vinegar.
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The pickles are slightly sweet from the addition of sugar, but they also benefit from a healthy tablespoonful of salt.
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Mirin, a sweet rice wine for cooking, adds more tart and more sweet.
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Unless you're very patient or have an army of helpers, you will want to use a mandoline to slice your cukes.
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Even slices every time!
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Merrill tackles the final cuke.
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Teri has you stack 8 shiso leaves and roll them like a cigar.
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Slicing them this way creates lovely thin ribbons (a.k.a. a chiffonade).
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The cucumber and the shiso join the pickling liquid.
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A quick mix with the hands, and then, into the fridge!
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