It's Cucumber Time! Ideas?

[Broken English]

White gazpacho.

[liuzhou]

I haven't used cucumbers in other savory dishes, but I think they would be good in a vegetable stir-fry.

Indeed, they do - a very common use in Chinese cuisine. In fact, they are probably eaten cooked as much as, if not more than, raw.

Another Chinese use (raw) is smacked cucumbers. Here is one recipe from Fuchsia Dunlop. Round here, they are drenched in a bright red chilli sauce rather than Dunlop's garlic (she does mention this in the 'variations' section). Both are good..

[Shelby]

It's that time again.

I already have enough to can and pickle a few jars....BUT, I'm not going to can them. I'm going to do fridge pickles for now. I just don't fee like dragging the canner out yet. I'll wait until it's time to do the tomatoes.

We've been eating them simply with salt, pepper and dip or two of Ranch dressing.

Last night I made a really good Greek salad using the usual ingredients but also adding some slightly roasted zucchini.

Edited July 6, 2013 by Shelby (log)

[ninagluck]

why not go for a cucumber sorbet?

http://www.greatbritishchefs.com/recipes/pimms-jelly-recipe-cucumber-sorbet

[LindaK]

Tzatziki--grated (salted and drained) cucumbers folded into greek yogurt flavored with garlic, lemon juice, and fresh herbs. Let it chill before serving. So good on a hot day, either on crackers or croutons for a light meal or snack, or alongside grilled fish or poultry.

[ninagluck]

In one of our provinces we have a special version of cucumber salad, give it a try!

peel them, grate them, salt them, put them in a coladner and let them drain for an hour.

then mix it with some fresh garlic, fresh ground pepper, some sugar, a tablespoon of nice

applevinegar, some sour cream and, the most important thing: pumpkin seed oil

[Shelby]

Fridge pickles

[weinoo]

Cacik. Cold cucumber and yougurt soup.

Written about a bit here.

[heidih]

The harvest this morning was significant and of course this year most friends and neighbors are also experiencing a nice yield.

I tried two different preps. With the Japanese cucumbers - roll cut them and mixed with green onion, Korean red pepper paste, a splash of soy, balsamic (no black vinegar in the house), some nasturtium "capers" ,and a thread of toasted sesame oil. These are really tasty. Then I thin sliced the more Kirby style ones on the mandoline and mixed with salt/peppercorns/garlic smashed in the mortar and pestle, some prepared horseradish, dash of sugar, lemon juice and vinegar, and Greek yogurt.

I let both preps sit for a few hours and sampled them with some simply boiled Yukon Gold potatoes. Very enjoyable - especially the Japanese cukes.

[Shelby]

Here I am again    I have a crock of cukes pickling (see the pickle thread).  I'm out of dill, so I can't start any more until I get some.  Thus, they are piling up on my counter. 

[FauxPas]

Keep a cold pitcher of water in the fridge with lots of sliced cucumber in it. One of my favourite summertime drinks. Well, until cocktail hour, that is. But there are cucumber cocktails also, like this one:

 

http://www.saveur.com/article/Recipes/Cucumber-Gin-Cooler

 

Also, you can invite the girls over for British Tea one afternoon and make classic cucumber tea sandwiches or use cucumber + prawn, cucumber + cream cheese + red pepper, etc. 

[nakji]

There's a cucumber do vanilla yogurt soup recipe I saw on Pinterest that I'm morbidly curious about. It must be based on the cacik mentioned earlier in the topic.

[janeer]

I used to make a cucumber ketchup all the time from Katherine Plagemann's wonderful book, Fine Preserving--a kind of puree of cucumber and onion, with celery seed and preserved with vinegar. It's great. I am sorry, but I am away and don't have my book handy, but maybe someone does. This is quick, easy, and great on burgers.

[Shelby]

I used to make a cucumber ketchup all the time from Katherine Plagemann's wonderful book, Fine Preserving--a kind of puree of cucumber and onion, with celery seed and preserved with vinegar. It's great. I am sorry, but I am away and don't have my book handy, but maybe someone does. This is quick, easy, and great on burgers.

Interesting.  I'll try google and see if I can find it.  Thank you!

[Shelby]

@kayb  This recipe might have some potential if and when you get tired of pickling your cucumbers.....

 

http://yesanother.com/2016/04/14/comfort-in-a-bowl-pork-stuffed-cucumber-soup/

[Okanagancook]

That looks like an interesting soup.  Last year I grated some cucumbers for use in Gaspatcho in the winter.  They were fine, still lots of flavour and it doesn't matter if the cell walls are broken by the freezing process.

 

I have some sliced in the fridge for snacking.

[Alex]

You can make a snake. Or a car. Or an orca (#12)

[kayb]

2 hours ago, Alex said:

You can make a snake. Or a car. Or an orca (#12)

 

My grandson would be thrilled.

 

[heidih]

Did you do anything different this year? My only add was to use my homemade citrus marmalade as the sweetener to the "everlasting bowl". Adds a bitter edge and a floral note I like. Such a great thing to have in the fridge. Toss with some buckwheat noodles and crushed peanuts -  perfect on an unseasonally hot day - as I am experiencing...

[MokaPot]

Not anything different for me, but I like to make a salad with the following things:

 

Cucumber ("baby" size)

Grape tomatoes

Feta cheese

Garbanzo beans

Dressing made of vinegar, garlic, cumin powder, & Tabasco sauce

[Rickbern]

I’ve been making this nice Chinese cucumber salad this year

 

https://omnivorescookbook.com/recipes/easy-chinese-cucumber-salad

[kayb]

My favorite cucumber salad is reconstructed from a dish at a German restaurant I loved.

 

Diced cucumbers, salted and drained

sour cream

dill (I tend to use lots of it)

a little sugar -- I'll use a teaspoon to a half-cup of sour cream, and I have used Greek yogurt in place of sour cream)

A splash of white wine vinegar

 

I can eat it for days.

 

[heidih]

Ok so they are arriving This week's big hit was English ones. No Farmers market access now. I prefer little Kirbys or Lebanese. Dressed with nuoc mam amped with more white vinegar. I love the smell when you cut into a good one. So refreshing. Are you in cucumber mode yet?

[Shelby]

3 minutes ago, heidih said:

Ok so they are arriving This week's big hit was English ones. No Farmers market access now. I prefer little Kirbys or Lebanese. Dressed with nuoc mam amped with more white vinegar. I love the smell when you cut into a good one. So refreshing. Are you in cucumber mode yet?

Ronnie picked our first one a couple days ago.  I laid it on the arm of the chair on the porch.  Chum had a nice snack 🙄

 

There are tons of little baby ones so hopefully by next week.

[Alex]

Last year I discovered Melissa Clark's Sauteed Salmon With Brown Butter Cucumbers.