With so many cucumbers, tender yet crisp, some yellow or light green, coming into the market right now, I have to marinate them! I remember loving these as a teenager, eating them right out of the jar in the refrigerator. My mother could not keep up with them! This is an easy way to keep a quick appetizer handy, add to a green salad or a sandwich. The process is very simple.
1. Make sure you use a clean jar with a hermetic top that seals well. I use a one quart container that can take 3-4 cucumbers depending on size. And make sure your cucumbers are fresh, preferably just picked or home from the market. That way they aren’t bitter and the skin isn’t tough.
2. Either leave the skin on or lightly peel tough parts. Slice thinly.
3. Thinly slice half of a red onion ( I prefer red for this, but white will do as well).
4. Then begin to layer the cucumbers in the jar, adding a sprinkle of salt, a layer of onion, another layer of cucumber, and so on until you reach the top.
5. Add 1/2 cup of good olive oil and 1/2 of red wine vinegar. If you like you can add more of each as you like. Close the top and seal it. Flip the jar and let it sit this way for a bit, about 5 minutes. Then place right side up in the refrigerator for a day. Every now and then flip the jar to make sure the marinade coats the cucumbers well. Eventually the cucumbers will release their own water and thus settle a bit in the jar. These are soooo good!
Make on open-faced tartina: on a slice of toasted rustic bread, slather a bit of cream cheese, layer with a thin slice of prosciutto (roast beef or lox), a few cucumber slices with onions, a sprinkle of feta cheese topped with a kalamata olive.
Cerati's Italian Kitchen 