Cookaholics Bulletin Board

All,

Thanks to the San Mateo Farmer's Market (recommended), I now have Armenian, Persian and lemon cucumbers. Seems like I should be able to do something interesting with all of these cucumbers, but interesting cucumber salad recipes are surprisingly hard to come by. Every recipe I find seems to be some variation on either tzaziki, or Japanese rice vinegar cucumber salad. Anyone have something else?

I love love love this salad by Pierre Franey:

SALADE DE CONCOMBRES ET CHEVRE (CUCUMBER AND GOAT CHEESE SALAD)

INGREDIENTS:

2 cucumbers, peeled and thinly sliced
1 large tomato, cored and coarsely cubed
1/4 lb (4 oz) goat cheese, crumbled
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
2 Tbsp water
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 Tbsp olive oil (I use extra virgin)
2 Tbsp parsley, finely chopped (I use flat leaf)

DIRECTIONS:

1. In salad bowl, combine cucumbers, tomato, and goat cheese. (Or can add part of the goat cheese and save the rest to crumble over the top after tossing salad).

2. In mixing bowl, whisk together mustard, vinegar, water, salt and pepper, then slowly whisk in the olive oil. (Or blend all ingredients except oil in food processor, then slowly add olive oil with machine running).

3. Pour vinaigrette over salad and toss well. Sprinkle with parsley (and crumble over remaining goat cheese if you have some reserved), and serve. (I like to chill it before serving).

4 servings.

Edited from Pierre Franey's "Cooking In France"

This is another good one, but it does have a little rice wine vinegar.

THAI CUCUMBER SALAD

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 1/2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar (I used 1 Tbsp white vinegar)
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon lime zest
1/2-1 small jalapeno, seeded and minced
salt and pepper
1 seedless cucumber
1 small red bell pepper
1 medium carrot
1/2 small red onion
1-2 tablespoon chopped cilantro (optional)
1/4 cup dry roasted peanuts, chopped

DIRECTIONS:

Whisk the first 7 ingredients (lime juice through jalapeno) in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper.

Trim the ends from the cucumber. Split lengthwise in half. Slice very thinly. Toss into the dressing.

Halve the red pepper vertically, core and remove seeds and white membranes. Slice the pepper, horizontally, into very thin strips. Add to the dressing and toss.

Peel the carrot and trim off ends. Slice diagonally into very thin slices. Add to the rest of the salad.

Peel the onion and cut in half horizontally. Then slice vertically into very thin strips. Add these to the bowl and toss everything together until well mixed.

Set aside for at least one hour, stirring occasionally (this can be marinated for up to 8 hours, but refrigerate if marinating for longer than 2 hours).

Transfer to a serving bowl. Sprinkle cilantro (if used) and peanuts over top.

4 servings

http://www.recipezaar.com/93536

I have a few I collected when we grew cucumbers last year. There is a cucumber-mango rice, Cucumber buttermilk soup, Cucumber, Celery and Avocado Salad, Orzo Salad with Shrimp and Feta. Let me know if you want me to post any of them.

I'd like to see them all

Merstar,

Thanks!


Alina,

If the cucumber/avocado/celery one is the bon appetit one, I found it. The orzo salad with shrimp and feta has a lot of cucumbers in it?

You're welcome! Here are two I found in my to-try file:

CHERRY TOMATO CUCUMBER FETA SALAD

Ingredients

* 2-3 cups of cherry and/or pear tomatoes, sliced in half
* 1 cup of chopped cucumber, peeled (and seeded if the seeds are bitter)
* 1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
* 1 Tbsp chiffonaded mint leaves
* 1 teaspoon fresh, chopped oregano
* 1 Tbsp lemon juice
* 2 Tbsp of finely chopped shallots or green onions
* 2 teaspoons olive oil
* Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Method

Gently toss the tomatoes, cucumber, feta, onions, mint, and oregano together. Dress with lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper to taste.

Serves 2-4.

http://www.elise.com/recipes/archives/0 ... _salad.php


CUCUMBER MELON SALAD

From the poster: "I’d recommend pouring this salad on a full plate stacked with your favorite meats, grilled veggies, and what-have-yous. Its acidic juices help cleanse the palate and its tightly packed pellets of cucumber lend satisfying crunch."

3 cups fresh cantaloupe, diced to small cubes
2 cups fresh cucumber, diced to equal-sized cubes (keeping skin on if unwaxed)
juice from 1 lime (2 tablespoons or more)
zest from the lime
1/4 cup onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup tomato, diced to small cubes
2 scallions (or fresh onion tops), thinly sliced
1 bunch cilantro, coarsley chopped
pinch of salt
pinch of pepper
1 tablespoon fruity, extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 fresh jalapeno, seeds removed and chopped very finely (optional, or choose a milder pepper as an alternative)

Fold all the ingredients together in a serving bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least two hours before serving, to let flavors incorporate.
Serve alone, as a garnish for meats or as a dip with chips.

(makes about 6 side servings)

http://noteatingoutinny.com/2007/08/29/ ... lon-salad/

I just made this one last week. Very simple but nice with grilled fish:



Watermelon-Cucumber Salad

Cooking Light JULY 2013

Yield: Serves 4 (serving size: about 3/4 cup)
Hands-on:12 Minutes
Total:12 Minutes

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups cubed seedless watermelon

1 cup thinly sliced English cucumber
1/4 cup thinly vertically sliced red onion
1 tablespoon thinly sliced fresh basil

Preparation

1. Combine oil, juice, and salt in a large bowl, stirring well. Add watermelon, cucumber, and onion; toss well to coat. Sprinkle salad evenly with basil.

No nightshades salad: diced cucumber, jicama (adds a sweet crunch), avocado, shallot, lime juice, salt, pepper, mild olive oil. I stir it several times while it sits and marinates so the avocado melts a bit into the dressing.

So, I made the Cucumber+Goat Cheese salad Merstar posted, mostly because I had most of the ingredients on hand (everything but the goat cheese, really). It was good; I think I added a mite too much goat cheese, but it didn't overwhelm the cucumbers.

It was fun with the noticeably different textures of the three different cucumbers.

I'll probably try a different salad from this thread later this week; still have lots of cucumbers left.