Seasonal Ontario Food

There are a lot of versions of this simple but substantial German salad; here's mine. You can eat it as-is, but I think it is most often eaten piled on a good sturdy slice of rye bread as it's almost as close to being a sandwich filling as it is to being a salad. I'd be happy to put it in a wrap with a leaf or 2 of lettuce and call it lunch, certainly. But one of my favourite things in the summer if I can round up a few eaters, is to have a salad buffet with a variety of salads, and this would make an excellent candidate for that. Also nice with a bowl of soup on the side.

 

4 servings

15 minutes prep time

 

1/2 teaspoon honey 

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon mayonnaise

2 teaspoons dill pickle brine OR apple cider vinegar

salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste

Mix the honey and mustard in a small jam jar or bowl. Mix in the mayonnaise, then the brine or vinegar. Season with salt and pepper, keeping in mind that other ingredients in this salad are salted - it's better to under-salt, and have to pass salt at the table than to overdo it here.

 

1 1/3 cups slivered radishes

2/3 cups slivered Gruyere, Emmentaler, Gouda or similar cheese

1 slice dill pickle

2 tablespoons minced chives OR green onion

3 tablespoons minced parsley

 

Wash, trim, and sliver the radishes. Cut the cheese into similar sized and shaped pieces. Dice the dill pickle fairly finely, and wash, dry, and mince the herbs. 

 

Mix everything together and toss with the dressing. Serve with buttered rye bread.

Last year at this time I made Baked Trout with Creamy Leek & Dill Sauce.