Refreshing Ogurkový salat (Cucumber salad)

My mom has been encouraging me to post more baking recipes with my grandmother, but it's been way too hot here in NYC for baking so those will wait a little longer.  Instead we decided to make a traditional Czech cucumber salad, which requires no heat.  I have many happy memories of eating this on the porch of our summer house upstate as a child.

You will need:
1 large seedless cucumber (or 2 regular ones)
1 tbsp salt
1 tbsp garlic powder (or 1 clove raw grated garlic, or put through a press)
3 tbsp sugar
2-3 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp sour cream (can be fat-free if you wish!)
1 tbsp minced fresh dill

Start by peeling and then thinly slicing your cucumber.  We used the slicing function of a 4-sided grater.  You can also use a mandoline, if you have one.  My grandmother suggests not pressing too hard when slicing, which keeps them pretty thin.  The resulting slices should be fairly translucent.

Salt your cucumber slices generously - we used about 1 tbsp salt - and let them sit in a strainer over a bowl for about 15 min.

If you're lucky like me, you get to spent the wait eating my grandmother's delicious cherry cake! That recipe will come soon... Unfortunately I ate it too quickly to give you a real good preview pic!

After 15 min, wash your cucumbers thoroughly and taste them to make sure you've removed most of the salt.  Let them drain another minute (don't squeeze them to death!) and return them to the bowl.

Add your garlic powder, and your first spoon of sugar and lemon juice.  Continue adding the sugar and lemon juice to taste.  My grandmother prefers the cucumbers to be both very sweet and very sour.  Finally, add your sour cream, to taste, and then the minced dill.  Let it sit at least an hour before eating, so that the flavors can properly meld.

This dish is typically served in small personal bowls alongside the main course of meats and potatoes, in place of proper vegetables!  On summer evenings, it's quite refreshing.

UPDATE: I would like to give special thanks to my husband for making this all by himself for a night of bbq with our friends, and proving that it tastes just as delish with fat-free sour cream.