When I have a crowd for dinner, I like to prepare as much as
possible ahead of time. The veggies in this salad marinate for a day,
giving me one less dish to make at the last minute.
This marinated vegetable dish was always a favorite at my family’s
holiday dinners. I’ve modified my mom’s recipe from the 1970s, just as the
sleuth in my Five-Ingredient Mysteries updates her grandmother’s recipes from
the same era. The original recipe relied on canned items because fifty
years ago fresh vegetables were hard to find out of season. Now you can buy summer crops like zucchini and green beans all year round.
Customize this recipe by substituting different vegetables depending on the time of year and your own
tastes. For the recipe here, I’m using raw zucchini instead of the blanched
cauliflower from my mother’s recipe. During the December holidays, add red
peppers for seasonal color. For Thanksgiving, throw in some carrots. This
make-ahead dish is helpful when you are cooking for a family gathering, a
dinner party, or a potluck meal.
Yield: 10-12 servings
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Wait time: 24 hours (with occasional stirring)
Vegetables
2 cups uncooked zucchini sliced in 1/4-inch rounds
1 can artichoke hearts, drained and quartered, or substitute
another vegetable
1 cup pitted and halved Kalamata or other black olives
1 medium onion thinly sliced
1/2 cup chopped sweet (bread & butter) pickles
Ingredients for the dressing |
Dressing
½ cup vegetable oil (not olive oil)
½ cup lemon juice
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp dried dill weed (3 tsp if using fresh dill weed)
½ tsp salt
1/8 tsp ground pepper
1. Combine all the vegetables in a
large bowl and stir them.
2. Mix the oil, lemon juice, and
cider vinegar. Shake in a container or stir. Add sugar, dill weed, salt, and
pepper. Mix well and pour over the vegetables.
3. Stir to combine the vegetables
with the dressing. Cover the bowl and refrigerate it. Stir the vegetables three
or four times over the next 24 hours.
Drain the vegetables before
serving.
The most time-consuming part of this recipe is cutting the vegetables.
Happy New Year, Everyone!
Five-Ingredient Mysteries in order, bottom to top |
Crypt Suzette is currently sale priced on Amazon.
Wishing you a wonderful 2020 full of good reading and eating! ~Maya
That salad looks good. (As good as your book always are!) I'm going to try it.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Mary Ellen, and Happy New Year!
DeleteA day in advance? Good planning.
ReplyDeleteHi, Libby. Anything I can take off my plate on the day I'm having a dinner party is good. Happy New Year!
Delete