I was asked to pick up ingredients for cucumber salad the other day. Sounds pretty easy, but not wanting to forget anything, I thought I should check the recipe. But I was at work. The recipe is at home, written in an old notebook with other age old family recipes.
But I googled cucumber salad to at least give me an idea. That was when I realized how different recipes can be.
The one I located online called for cucumbers (check), onion (check), sour cream (what?)… back that up a bit.
I’m pretty sure the family recipe that came from my great grandfather did not have sour cream. Largely because the cow out back did not supply the stuff. You used cream and a bit of vinegar. I’m sure the other one might taste just fine, but it’s not the cucumber salad I’m used to.
There are also a couple of non food ingredients that I know I need. A weight… possibly a fair sized rock… in my case, it’s wrapped in tin foil and stored in the basement, because it happens to be the right size and weight for the job. I also need a bowl and a plate of exactly the right dimensions. The plate has to fit inside the bowl just right. Cucumber and onion go below the plate and the rock goes on top. Just so you can squeeze as much water as possible out of the cucumber.
The recipe I found online did not call for that step. Rocks or weights of any kind are not called for in this particular recipe.
But it did get me thinking. The internet is really great for finding new and interesting recipes, but sometimes, that’s not what you want. You want the old favourite. The one that has been in the family for generations.
Sometimes it’s more than just a recipe. Sometimes there’s a rock.
