Iron Horse Cucumber Salad

2 lg Cucumbers

-- peeled, seeded and diced 1 lg Onion

-- peeled, sliced paper thin 1 lg Bunch radishes; trimmed

-- sliced in thin rounds 1 Green bell pepper; cored

-- seeded, in thin strips 1 sm Fresh cilantro bunch*

3/4 c wine vinegar

1 tb Fresh ginger; minced

Salt and pepper; to taste *Cilantro should be rinsed, dried and with stems removed, to equal about 1 and 1/2 cups loosely packed leaves. Put cucumbers, onion, radishes and bell pepper in a large bowl; toss well. If they are not prechilled, cover and refrigerate for 1 hour. Mince cilantro leaves. Drizzle rice wine vinegar over vegetables, sprinkle the cilantro and ginger over them, and toss thoroughly to combine. Season to taste and serve immediately. Loomis writes: "The key to this salad...is to use the freshest, crispest vegetables you can find. It should be served chilled to get the best effect, but you can avoid a time lag between preparation and serving by refrigerating the vegetables for several hours before beginning, so they go chilled right into the bowl. "The amount of onion you use depends on whether or not you're a real onion fan. I love a sweet onion in this salad, but if you're onion-shy, use half the amount called for. The recipe did not originally call for salt and pepper, and it does not need it, but you should adjust the seasoning to your taste." Recipe from Forrest Tanser, winemaker at the Iron Horse Vineyards in Sebastopol, CA. In _Farm House Cookbook_ by Susan Herrmann Loomis. New York: Workman Publishing Company, Inc., 1991. Pp. 275-276. ISBN 0-89480-772-2. Electronic format by Cathy Harned.