Cucumber ideas

[OakLeaf]

Okay, how about THIS.

One, 100 g cucumber, stem and blossom ends sliced off, chunked
Juice of one lime
Two teaspoons bar sugar, or one tablespoon simple syrup
Eight spearmint leaves
Three ice cubes
One oz vodka

Blend. Strain if you must. Drink. Yum.

You could leave out the vodka and it would be a plenty refreshing drink for anyone, any time.

[carlotta]

Three ideas:

Indian style spicy cucumber wedges (a Madhur Jaffrey recipe)
1 cucumber, cut in half lengthwise and into wedges 3-inches long and 1/2 an inch wide
1/2 tsp kosher salt
pinch cayenne pepper
freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp ground, roasted cumin seeds
juice of 3/4 lemon

Combine all ingredients in a non-reactive mixing bowl. Toss to combine. (or sometimes I just sprinkle cuke wedges with spices/lemon)


Japanese style cuke salad-- toss cukes with sesame oil, rice wine vinegar, soy to taste (I add scallions if I have them, and sometimes either bonito flakes or crab meat if I'm feeling fancy and want to make it more than a side). Sesame seeds are a good addition too.


Smoothies-- one of my all time favorites is basically honeydew melon and cuke, tons of water, refreshing and not too sweet.

[withm]

Three ideas:

Smoothies-- one of my all time favorites is basically honeydew melon and cuke, tons of water, refreshing and not too sweet.

This sounds great - what proportion of melon to cucumber, and how much water do you add?

[carlotta]

This sounds great - what proportion of melon to cucumber, and how much water do you add?

Oops, kind of mis-worded there. I don't add water beyond the water content of the cuke/melon-

Basic recipe is ~2 parts melon (I like honeydew, but I think most any type would be good), ~1 part cuke. Blend.

Additions: mint, lime juice (I sometimes add a little honey if I add lime), yogurt. I've never tried it, but I think it would also be really good with more savory herbs (thyme/basil/cilantro).

I don't have a hefty enough blender to make good smoothies with ice cubes, but I could see adding them if your blender pulverizes them well. I usually just freeze the melon and/or the cuke so my smoothie is cold

[snapdragen]

My kind of gal....

Another thing to do is make some simple syrup, water and sugar 1:1. Bring to a boil, remove from heat. Add a sliced cucumber and let steep for about 30 minutes. Strain and refrigerate. I'll put about a tablespoon of this in a glass full of ice, then add club soda. Vodka would be a good addition for a cocktail.

Okay, how about THIS.

One, 100 g cucumber, stem and blossom ends sliced off, chunked
Juice of one lime
Two teaspoons bar sugar, or one tablespoon simple syrup
Eight spearmint leaves
Three ice cubes
One oz vodka

Blend. Strain if you must. Drink. Yum.

You could leave out the vodka and it would be a plenty refreshing drink for anyone, any time.

[DebW]

I just made some tabooli - used up a big cucumber and 2 tomatoes, plus some fresh mint, cilantro, and parsley.

[Owlie]

Japanese-style quick pickles?

I like just eating them, sliced with some rice vinegar, splashes of soy sauce and sesame oil, and a sprinkling of red pepper flakes and sesame seeds.

[Catrin]

Has anyone suggested a watermelon-cucumber salsa? I love this, and have also enjoyed watermelon-cucumber gazpacho.