Ask Allyn . . . Pizza, BBQ, & Cucumber Salad

   You may already know, but there’s a new pizza place in the pueblo–Daddy’s Pizza. Halfway up the hill after the bridge, North side.  Apparently a satellite operation from Puerto Aventuras.  They’re doing a booming business, and they have a MotoMan for deliveries. I haven’t tried it, I make my own pizza. Mozzarella, pepperoni, Italian sausage and mushrooms.  No fruit. Ever. Spread the word on Daddy’s.

 It’s BBQ time, so here’s today’s tip: This occurred to me a long time ago, but I have only seen it once on a cooking video (I watch a million of them) that mentioned this–Do NOT put oil in your marinade. It doesn’t really make sense–the oil simply coats the meat or vegetables and does not allow the marinade to penetrate. If you need oil, oil it after marinating.

    Eventually one tends to get a little bored with potato and macaroni salad as the inevitable side dish during the hot months.  Try this really easy recipe.

Cucumber Salad.  (Makes about 2 servings)

1  medium cucumber, peeled, seeded and cored, then sliced very thin. (just get that goopy stuff out of the middle, it’s           mostly water, not your friend here)

¼ medium onion, sliced as thin as you can (crunch will not be ideal)

¼ c. sour cream

1 tsp vinegar

1 tsp sugar

1 Tbsp Dill weed

As you slice the cucumber, drop a small handful into a colander, and salt heavily.  Another handful, salt again. Repeat.  Allow to sit and drain for 30 minutes to an hour.

    Now rinse and drain 3 times–use a bowl, not under the tap–to get out as much of the salt as possible– the little bit left will be just right. After the third rinse, drain thoroughly and pat dry on paper towels or tea towel. In a small bowl, mix all ingredients together and refrigerate for a couple of hours. Voila! You’ll probably get some water in the bottom of the bowl, just pour it off.  I’m not a huge cucumber fan, but I really like this, and can wolf it down as a side for lunch.  Cucumbers–always available and relatively cheap.

   Tea towel story for Y’all…..many “chefs” use tea towels– but what the heck are they? (Just kidding, they’re obviously lint free, unlike hand towels.) To confess what a cheapskate I am, one day I found a formerly white rag laying in the street, which had been run over numerous times by various vehicles. Or various times by numerous vehicles. Without embarrassment, I bent over and picked it up, and it was an old style all cotton table napkin!  Hello tea towel!  Several washings later, it’s good to go.  I use it all the time, especially to squeeze water out of grated potatoes.

   Thanx for reading. Please hit the “like” button and notifications bell.  Until next time.

P.S.  Unlike the millions of food bloggers, I will only give y’all recipes I have actually made and like.

ALLYN