547177 Sat Aug 09 18:24:57 -0700 2008 41 31 Home Cooking 0 3943962 What are your favourite recipes? My cukes are quite large- too large to pickle. I've also got lots of dill, basil, cilantro, arugula and jalapenos, so any recipes incorporating these ingredients would be great. Thanks for any of your suggestions! Sat Aug 09 18:24:59 -0700 2008 10626 phoenikia 1 3943968 I like a nice cucumber raita... with yogurt. Tastes great with fish. Try this one: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/CUCUMBER-MINT-RAITA-109803 Sat Aug 09 18:29:50 -0700 2008 3943962 28006 Jennalynn 2 3943981 Yes - I make variations of that regularly - particularly good with salmon. I used to chop up the cucumber very fine pieces - now I often just grate it before letting it drain. Cucumber soup is great too - someone just posted about that earlier tonight. Sat Aug 09 18:41:47 -0700 2008 3943968 10985 MMRuth 2 3944337 My raita contains jalapenos instead of the cayenne, and cilantro instead of mint. So that fufills two other of the OPs requested ingredients! Sun Aug 10 00:11:31 -0700 2008 3943968 10290 janetofreno 3 3944733 Sounds delicious- thank you! Sun Aug 10 09:12:24 -0700 2008 3944337 10626 phoenikia 1 3943992 2 things come to mind. One is a quick pickle that works with larger guys- just halve (seed a bit if really seedy) and slice between 1/8 and 1/4", add sliced onions to taste, salt lightly, sugar generously (or Splenda), pepper, top with vinegar or choice and let sit a few days. I literally eat this breakfast, lunch and dinner during the season. Second is good old fashioned cucumber salad- mandoline or otherwise thin slice, salt, drain liquid, sprinkle with sugar, stir in yogurt or sour cream. Pepper and or paprika is nice. Big spoonfuls on toasted baguette, alongside any meal- good stuff. Will keep at least 4 days. Sat Aug 09 18:48:09 -0700 2008 3943962 17682 torty 2 3946434 I was gonna recommend this but you beat me to it. YUM! :) Mon Aug 11 05:50:46 -0700 2008 3943992 119275 Morganna 1 3944013 Thanks for all the great suggestions so far. I'm going to give the raita a try- will probably also make tzatziki at some point in the next couple weeks. The quick pickle sounds delicious, too. Will let you know how that goes;) Does anyone have any favourite dairy-free or vegan recipes they'd like to share? Most of the cucumber salad and soup recipes I have use a fair amount of yogurt, sour cream or buttermilk. I'm trying to drop a few pounds so I've been trying to limit my dairy lately;) My favourite old-school cucumber salad is a Hungarian recipe from Molly O'Neill's New York Cookbook- using fresh dill, dijon mustard, wine vinegar, olive oil and paprika. It's always a hit at my dinner parties, and tastes even better the next day! Sat Aug 09 19:13:10 -0700 2008 3943962 10626 phoenikia 2 3945148 cucumber smoothies are lowfat & very refreshing cold cucumber soup can be thicked with vegetable broth to lower calories roasted cucumbers with olive oil, onions and zucchini is a nice side dish cucumbers added to rice, couscous, cold pasta salad enjoy your bounty! Sun Aug 10 12:53:24 -0700 2008 3944013 36312 HillJ 1 3944097 GHG's Coban Salatasi [Turkish Shepherd's Salad] 4 medium tomatoes 1 medium cucumber [seedless, if available] 1 medium-size mild onion [i prefer red or bermuda] 2 large jarred pepperoncini [banana peppers]* 6 tablespoons olive oil 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar 1 teaspoon dried oregano juice of half a lemon [1-2 tablespoons] kosher salt fresh cracked black pepper 1 large handful flat leaf parsley grated mizithra cheese or crumbled feta cheese for serving Halve the tomatoes, squeeze gently [don't crush them!] to remove the seeds, and discard seeds. Peel cucumber, and slice in half, lengthwise. If cucumber contains seeds, remove them by scraping gently with a spoon, & discard seeds. Dice the tomato, onion & cucumber, and combine in a large bowl. Remove & discard the stems from the pepperoncini, chop the peppers very finely, and add to the other vegetables. In a separate bowl, whisk together olive oil, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, and oregano; season dressing to taste with salt & pepper. Pour dressing over vegetables, toss well, and allow to sit, refrigerated, for at least 30 minutes [the longer, the better]. When ready to serve, roughly chop the parsley and sprinkle over salad [don't toss - i prefer to allow each diner to mix it into their serving after it's plated]. Serve with cheese on the side [i always stir 1-2 tablespoons into my serving]. Enjoy! *Note: traditionally, this salad contains green bell peppers, but i can't eat them raw. if you don't like the bite from the pepperoncini and you're okay with green peppers, feel free to omit the pepperoncini, and add 1 cored, seeded & diced medium green pepper. You could play around with the seasonings a little to use up some of your herbs - maybe omit the oregano & toss in some dill, or try using cilantro instead of parsley. Get creative :) Sat Aug 09 20:07:52 -0700 2008 3943962 103920 goodhealthgourmet 2 3944740 thanks goodhealthgourmet... Sun Aug 10 09:14:54 -0700 2008 3944097 10626 phoenikia 1 3944138 Another one similar to your Hungarian one is thinly sliced cukes, sweet onions,red wine vinegar, dill, and salt. No oil. Also you can saute thickly sliced and seeded cukes in a little butter ..yummy. Or if you're watching the calories, I would think steaming them would work well also. Sat Aug 09 20:36:10 -0700 2008 3943962 71215 mlgb 2 3944742 Will try out the no oil approach for the salad. Haven't tried sauteeing cukes, but it looks like I've got enough to try all these recipes. Thanks. Sun Aug 10 09:15:55 -0700 2008 3944138 10626 phoenikia 2 3945384 Add a little sugar and you've got my Grandmother's Hungarian cucumber salad. Sun Aug 10 15:03:02 -0700 2008 3944138 28006 Jennalynn 1 3944143 I made a couscous salad the other night that we all enjoyed (well, except my husband) - I chopped celery really small, and split grape tomatoes, and diced cucumbers, lots of fresh parsley, 1 raw garlic clove, olive oil, rice wine vinegar, S&P. It was great the next day (I seeded the cukes I guess is why it wasn't all watery and gross). I use the tip of a teaspoon, run it down the peeled cut-in-half cuke to seed, then slice, sprinkle with rice wine vinegar and serve. Sat Aug 09 20:40:35 -0700 2008 3943962 110426 Boccone Dolce 1 3944153 Those big cukes do a great job in the juicer. The juice can be frozen. Every item you mention could be mixed in to the juicer with the cukes, although the basil strikes my palate pretty harsh when juiced. Sat Aug 09 20:45:16 -0700 2008 3943962 17562 FoodFuser 2 3944749 I wish I had a juicer! What do you do with the cucumber juice- do you drink it straight? Sun Aug 10 09:19:05 -0700 2008 3944153 10626 phoenikia 3 3946064 Start with reading recipes for gazpacho... cucumber is the key. Sun Aug 10 21:04:27 -0700 2008 3944749 17562 FoodFuser 1 3944288 I recently made a cucumber agua fresca that was wonderful. 2-3 cukes will probably make a 1/2 gallon along with: juice of 4 limes simple syrup to taste 1 quart water (or to taste) Pinch of salt You'll also need some cheesecloth, a blender or food mill, and a strainer. Scrub the cukes, leaving the skins on. Cut into 1" chunks. Put the pieces into the blender along with a good 1/2 cup to cup of water and some of the lime juice. (You'll need to do this in batches) Puree until liquefied. Strain through the cheesecloth into a big bowl. When all your blending and straining is finished, sweeten to taste with simple syrup and all a little salt. Add more water if needed. This will keep a couple of days in the fridge. Sat Aug 09 22:59:05 -0700 2008 3943962 68466 vickib 2 3944737 Just bought some limes- so I'm hoping to try this really soon. Thanks for the suggestion;) Sun Aug 10 09:13:27 -0700 2008 3944288 10626 phoenikia 3 3946089 this cuke agua fresca is amazing - my favorite Sun Aug 10 21:18:45 -0700 2008 3944737 14086 kare_raisu 1 3944647 I've been getting huge armenian cucumbers in my CSA boxes several weeks running, and to me, particularly if you want non-diary and have some cilantro, cucumber means JanetofReno's Kachumber salad, with the addition of some chopped cucumber to her recipe below (cilantro is a garnish): http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/518600#3685130 the other salad I made this week was similar to some of the ones mentioned: chop the cucumber (by the way, one of the great things about armenian cucumbers is that you don't need to peel them; just wash thoroughly); add some chopped red onion, a few chopped leaves of fresh basil, and mix with a dressing of olive oil, a splash of basalmic vinegar, plain yogurt, salt and pepper....(sorry I can't tell you proportions since I made it up as I went along, but very little olive oil and even less vinegar, plus enough yogurt to cover but not enough to make it very heavy)...very tasty and refreshing. Sun Aug 10 08:22:10 -0700 2008 3943962 10158 susancinsf 2 3944738 Thanks susancisf, both ideas sound great. Sun Aug 10 09:14:01 -0700 2008 3944647 10626 phoenikia 1 3945133 Cucumber in sour cream. I use low fat sour cream. Salt thin sliced cukes and onions and let sit a few hours. Rinse. You should still taste some salt. Squeeze out liquid. Add pepper and sour cream - let sit a few hours before eating. Also I like to make a filling similar to potstickers - minced shrimp and ground pork, some garlic and ginger. Cut cukes in half lengthwise, remove seeds. fill with meat and steam. Sun Aug 10 12:44:49 -0700 2008 3943962 13429 chowmel 2 3945209 The steamed stuffed cukes sound delish! Sun Aug 10 13:29:01 -0700 2008 3945133 10626 phoenikia 2 3945450 i'm with phoenikia, i like the sound of those steamed, stuffed cukes. chowmel, how long do you steam them? of course you'd need to do it sufficiently long for the filling to cook, but i'd be worried about the cukes getting soggy or mushy... Sun Aug 10 15:34:53 -0700 2008 3945133 103920 goodhealthgourmet 3 3945510 just thinking....cucumber tea sandwiches are light and delish. Sun Aug 10 16:12:38 -0700 2008 3945450 36312 HillJ 3 3946911 I cook until the filling is done. The cukes don't get soggy. I checked the recipe I used and it says to cook for 20 min. I don't think mine cook all that long. But do use the larger, slightly overgrown cukes. I dust the cukes with a little cornstarch to help the filling stick, not really necessary. I've also done it where I cut the whole cuke in 2-3 inch pieces and cored them out so I had a cylinder. Then I stuffed and steamed. Mon Aug 11 08:59:08 -0700 2008 3945450 13429 chowmel 4 3947787 great, thanks fro the explanation. the cukes i have right now are pretty small, but when i have some big, fat ones on hand i'll give it a try. Mon Aug 11 13:09:58 -0700 2008 3946911 103920 goodhealthgourmet 1 3945431 My mom and I would always make a sandwich with cream cheese, sliced cucumbers, alfala sprouts, raisins and sunflower seeds. :) Sometimes we would add avacado too Sun Aug 10 15:26:17 -0700 2008 3943962 195113 jenwee 1 3945446 I do a quick saute of chopped (peeled if necessary) cucumber pieces & scallions tossed w/ fresh dill. It's particularly nice with salmon. Sun Aug 10 15:34:10 -0700 2008 3943962 15743 Sherri 2 3945559 I have a lovely recipe for a cucumber and green apple salad with cilantro and a honey vinaigrette. Peel the cukes and peel and core the green apples, and slice so that they both quite thin. Chop some cilantro to taste (some people don't like cilantro, and you can substitute dill or mint.) Make a vinaigrette with one part honey to two parts white vinegar, with a little salt. Once you've mixed the dressing, pour it over the salad, toss and serve. Sun Aug 10 16:38:39 -0700 2008 3945446 83766 brendastarlet 3 3945623 Like the sound of this recipe, and I have green apples on hand! Tomorrow night I'll give it a try! Tonight I made a variation of this avocado and cucumber soup: http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/show/CTVShows/20080428/gordon_ramsay_080428/20080428?hub=Recipe, adding jalapeno, increasing the basil and cucumber, and decreasing the oil, sour cream and Worcestershire. Also made a cucumber,dill, vinegar (white balsamic), sugar, salt, sweet paprika and onion salad with no oil, as suggested by some of the above posters. 5 cucumbers used, and about a dozen to go, before I pick the next round! Sun Aug 10 17:10:06 -0700 2008 3945559 10626 phoenikia 4 3947848 If you need to slice the green apples ahead of time, you can soak them in pineapple juice. It will keep them from going brown. Mon Aug 11 13:25:59 -0700 2008 3945623 83766 brendastarlet 1 3947268 A few variations of this sweet & sour cucumber salad with dill have been mentioned. I love this one...just add some thinly sliced red onion and make a lot -- it's addicting! http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/SWEET-AND-SOUR-CUCUMBERS-WITH-FRESH-DILL-109713 Mon Aug 11 10:45:16 -0700 2008 3943962 10205 valerie 1 3949943 I made some quick Chinese Spicy Cucumber pickles last night. So good with a few pork dumplings! Recipe is from Yan's China, page 62 I think..... 2 cucumbers 1 tsp salt 1/2 cup rice vinegar 2 tbs soy sauce 2 tbs sugar 1-2 fresh red chilis Deseed [if not English] and slice very thin. I used a mandolin for this part. In a bowl, sprinkle the salt over the cucumbers, and mix. Allow to sit for 30 minutes. Mix remaining ingredients. I didn't have any fresh chili peppers, so I toasted 1 tsp of Szechuan peppers. Drain and dry the cucumbers. Mix all together. Chill for an hour. Serve. This was so simple and delicious, I am going to start trying other veggies with this pickling method. Tue Aug 12 07:56:41 -0700 2008 3943962 59258 smtucker 2 3950419 Sounds good- will give it a try with jalapenos instead of the fresh red chilis since that's what I have on hand;) Tue Aug 12 10:26:54 -0700 2008 3949943 10626 phoenikia 2 3959314 The Chinese Spicy Cuke idea turned out really well..thanks for the inspiration. I didn't use any salt since the soy is already salty, and I was out of rice vinegar so I used white balsamic. My white balsamic, soy and jalapeno cucumber salad turned out delicious!. 2 tbsp sugar, 2 tbsp soy, 1/3 cup white balsamic, 1 minced jalapeno and 2 sliced cucumbers. Fri Aug 15 06:21:11 -0700 2008 3949943 10626 phoenikia 1 3950086 A couple more suggestions - http://www.chow.com/recipes/11291 http://www.chow.com/recipes/11544 Tue Aug 12 08:52:42 -0700 2008 3943962 93805 hannaone 2 3950417 Thanks hannaone! Tue Aug 12 10:26:21 -0700 2008 3950086 10626 phoenikia 1 3950603 When I have an excess of cukes, I like to make a chilled cucumber and dill soup or saute them. To saute them I quarter them legthwise, remove the seeds and then cut into 1/2-1' pieces, toss them in flour, and then saute in olive oil until crisp-tender. Then, I just squeeze them with a bit of lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste. Tue Aug 12 11:20:50 -0700 2008 3943962 75002 Megiac 1 3950677 Cucumber Salsa 3 cups diced cucumber 3/4 cup diced white onion 1-2 jalapenos diced juice of 1-2 limes olive oil cilantro 1 large heirloom tomato, chopped salt and pepper mix together, serve with corn chips - so yummy! The quantities can be altered to your liking. This has been very popular when I bring it to parties. Tue Aug 12 11:43:48 -0700 2008 3943962 19917 Rizza