Favorite way to prepare your cucumbers?

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JoAnn L.

Master Chef
Joined
Jun 3, 2006
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Location
upper midwest
Here is my TNT recipe:

2 medium cucumbers, peeled and thinly sliced
1 onion, thinly sliced
Layer these in to a 2 qt. glass container
Syrup:
2 cups white sugar
1 cup white vinegar
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. mustard seeds
1 tsp. celery seeds
Stir the syrup ingredients well and then pour over the cucumbers and onions. Cover and refrigerate. Make 2 days before serving. Stir well before serving.
 
I love these and make them all the time - don't use quite as much sugar as you do, tho, and sometimes add chunks of tomator, also. Made it for July 4th dinner, and added some tiny fresh green beans, first of the year from the garden!

Another neat thing to do with cukes if they're really good and fresh, is to cut them into thick spears about 3 inches long, then just before serving, sprinkle with salt, cumin and a dash of cayenne.
 
I like that way of fixing cuks too and the tomatoe idea is great.I also like to just peel and eat with some salt. Fresh from the garden and so good.
 
I make the same recipe that JoAnn L makes except I cut the sugar to 1/2 cup and these are great!!! Letting them sit in the fridge enhances the flavor. I don't know how long the leftovers will keep because there are never any left.
 
Apart from being an indispensable ingredient for various salads, or munching on them as they are, I love tzatziki, cucumber-yogurt-garlic sauce very popular in the mediterranean region, (it is difficult to say this is a greek, turkish or lebanese recipe... it is supposed to be all of them...)
Wonderful with falafels, kebabs (gyros), or salad dressings, there are many other way to enjoy this delicious sauce/dressing.

  • 400-500ml / about 1lb Greek style yogurt (which is richer than regular full milk yogurt, if you can't find it you can also use a regular yogurt and blend in a bit of sour cream...)
  • 1 large cucumber
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 2 tbsp of extra virgine olive oil
  • 1tsp dill
  • 1/2 tsp mint
  • (optional) salt
Preparation

Wash, peel and grate (or finely chop) the cucumber. Now you must drain the liquid from the cucumber. Place it in a sieve, then a plate or bowl over it(as a weight), leave it over the sink for at least half an hour. The "express" method--- place it in a paper towel and squeeze it hard. In a bowl you blend the drained cucumber with the chopped garlic, the yogurt, oil, herbs and (if preferred) a little salt, and you stir until it attains a creamy smooth texture.
 
I like to cut up a fresh cuke and slice it up
with an onion thinly
put about 1 tbs mayo and a dash or two of vinegar salt /pepper.
or I like to eat them on a sandwhich with bacon and mayo.
 
Cucumbers in Sour Cream


1 Cucumber
1 tsp Salt
1/2 C Sour Cream
4 tsp Vinegar, Red Wine
1-2 Drops Tabasco Sauce
2 Tb Chives - Snipped
1/2 tsp Dried Dill Weed
Black Pepper

Slice the cucumber into very thin slices. Sprinkle with the salt and let stand for 30 minutes at room temperature to release excess water from the cucumbers. Drain.

Combine the remaining ingredients and toss with the cucumbers.

Chill for 30 minutes
 
Thai Pickled Cucumbers

1 Seedless Cucumber
1 1/2 tsp Salt
1/4 C Rice Vinegar
3 Tb Sugar
2 Shallots, sliced thin
1 Jalapeno Pepper, minced

Slice the cucumber thinly and toss with the salt. Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. (Peeling the cuke is optional)

Separately combine the vinegar, sugar, shallots and jalapeno.

Drain the cucumber and pat dry with paper towels and toss with the vinegar mixture.
Refrigerate until ready to serve.
 
A refreshing way to serve them is to peel them, puree them, and then let them strain overnight to make a base for a chilled cucumber soup. We would use that and make a "White Gazpacho" using the cucumber juice and also the liquid from strained and pureed tomatoes.
 
I peel, seed and chop them, add some chopped scallions, and combine them with cottage cheese that I've doctored with a little lemon juice, a tiny bit of mayo and a bit of Tabasco. It's a delightful side salad to serve with grilled food.
 
A friend gave me this recipe last year when I had loads of cucumbers. It is wonderful and my daughter and I even like to eat them icy from the freezer even before they completly thaw. I don't usually like sweet pickles but these are great. Another great pickle our family loves is the Polish Garlic Dill Pickle recipe from Prairie Home Cooking.
Here's the frozen one:
FROZEN CUKES

2 quarts sliced cucumbers
1 large onion
2 tablespoons salt

Put this in a large covered container and mix with salt. Let refrigerate or 24 hours. Drain off salt juice after 24 hours.
Mix in a pan;
1-1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cp white vinegar

Bring to boil to dissolve sugar. Then pour this solution over the
drained cucumbers.
Let stand in refridgerator for 24 hours, covered.
After the 24 hours put serving portions into freezer containers andfreeze until you want them. Let thaw completely before eating.
 
Andy M. said:
Thai Pickled Cucumbers


1 Seedless Cucumber
1 1/2 tsp Salt
1/4 C Rice Vinegar
3 Tb Sugar
2 Shallots, sliced thin
1 Jalapeno Pepper, minced

Slice the cucumber thinly and toss with the salt. Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. (Peeling the cuke is optional)

Separately combine the vinegar, sugar, shallots and jalapeno.

Drain the cucumber and pat dry with paper towels and toss with the vinegar mixture.
Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Andy,

Thanks for posting this recipe, it sounds delicious.:) The best thing is I have all the ingredients, but the cucumber. So, off to the store I will go to buy some cucumbers.

SC
 

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