It’s been quiet around here, I know. The past few weeks have been hot and our veggie consumption has been pretty limited to fresh and simple salads, nothing crazy enough to write about. I haven’t come around to Thai food just yet, though a mortar and pestle did enter our family, in preparation for a curry paste that I’ll be trying out soon.

My mom makes one of my all time favourite fresh and simple summer salads, and I think this one is definitely worth a mention. Her salad contains iceberg lettuce, radishes, cucumbers, dill and green onions. It’s dressed simply, with sour cream, salt, and pepper. This salad tastes very Russian to me, although I’m not sure what something characteristically “Russian” should taste like. It must be the dill. It also makes me think of being on a farm with a large veggie garden, in a nostalgic kind of way, though I’m quite sure I’ve never had this salad on a farm. I’m thinking it might be the dill again. Isn’t the brain is funny that way sometimes?
Missing a few of the ingredients, and trying to make a more filling, stand alone version, I’ve improvised a recipe with a couple of changes. There are hard-boiled eggs, which happen to go really well with the selection of veggies. Instead of sour cream, the dressing here is made from yogurt, soft goat cheese, and olive oil. Instead of green onion, my balcony garden chive bush received a much needed trim – it’s a lively little beast. It’s quite a different salad now, but the Russian farm flavours are there in full force, whatever my brain perceives them to be.