Hungarian Cucumber Salad

This recipe is very near and dear to my heart.  One bite brings back family memories from over two decades ago [damn, I'm gettin' old!] and reminds me of how powerful the sensation of taste can be.  I hope you can taste the love in this very simple cucumber salad when you make it in your kitchen.

Ingredients:
1 large seedless "English" cucumber [these are the very long cucumbers, often sold in individual cello-wrapping]
1/3 Cup granulated Sugar
1/3 Cup + 2 Tbsp White Vinegar
1/2 tsp Kosher Salt
1/2 tsp Sweet Hungarian Paprika

Process:
1. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the vinegar, sugar, salt, and paprika. Whisk until the sugar is dissolved.

2. Wash and dry the cucumber, I leave the skin on but feel free to peel it if that is what you prefer.
3. Cut the cucumber into 1/8 inch thick rounds; you might want to dust of your mandolin for this task if you have one, or enjoy honing in on your knife skills.

4. Place the sliced cucumber in the bowl with your vinegar mixture and toss to coat. Transfer the mixture to a large ziploc bag, seal out the air, and store in the fridge until ready to serve. It will stay good indefinitely, consider these cucumbers basically pickled.

uno.

dos.

tres.

Mangia!