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Need Help: Overwhelmed by Cucumbers!

For the love of sweet green peas, will my (otherwise excellent) CSA ever stop tossing cucumbers in my box?! My significant other doesn't like them. I'm tired of either (a) eating them raw on everything or (b) making pickles. If someone has suggestions for new and exciting cucumber recipes, please share.

20 Comments:

Isn't there a Julia Child's recipe for sauteed cucumbers that supposed to be really good (according to Julie Powell)?

My mother use to saute cucumbers (peeled and seeded) with Chinese celery and squid (cleaned and sliced into strips). I liked it, a very delicately flavored dish. The cucumbers remain somewhat crisp even after cooking.

Cold cucumber soup made with yogurt and garlic, speaks summer to me. I don't have recipe (I buy mine at the French House deli where I live), but there are many online.

invite people over for "tea". make sandwiches with white bread, mayo and sliced cucumbers and serve them with cookies and the tea. the important part is to invite people over... so you arent the only one eating them... then they should go fast.

Kinda a weird recipe:
My papa would hollow out the really large cucs and fill them with a home made ground sausage mixture, tie them closed, braise them with root veggies and serve over steamed potatoes.

I really like a nice fresh cucumber salad with lots and lots of dill.

Cucumber milkshake maybe?

I wish you could send them over to me. I live for cucs. :)
PS. fresh slices over your eyes prevent eye-poofyness

Sesame Noodles with Cucumber

1/4 c. toasted sesame oil
3 T. soy sauce or tamari
1 T. rice wine vinegar or white wine vinegar
2 t. sugar
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. minced garlic (optional)
8 oz. dried Chinese noodles or vermicelli
1-2 large Kirby cucumbers, trimmed, peeled, halved and seeded.
2 T. toasted sesame seeds or chopped peanuts

In a large serving bowl, whisk sugar, vinegar, soy, salt, garlic, sesame oil and peanut butter together until well blended and smooth. This may be done an hour or two ahead.
Cook the noodles in a large pot of boiling water until tender, but firm. Drain in a large colander. Rinse under cold water until the noodles are cooled. Drain well.
Add noodles to dressing in the large serving bowl, tossing to coat well. Cool completely, tossing one or two more times.
While the noodles are cooling, cut the cucumber halves lengthwise into strips as thin as possible. The strips should match the thickness of the noodles.

To serve, put the cucumber strips over the center of the noodles; sprinkle the sesame seeds on top of cucumbers. Toss thoroughly and serve.

Variations-
-Tahini may be substituted for peanut butter, adding a nice flavor twist.
-Add a tablespoon of chopped cilantro, pinch of hot pepper flakes and a squeeze of lime to the dressing for more kick.
-Substitute ponzu for soy sauce for a citrus twist.

Recipe adapted from Barbara Kafka’s Vegetable Love
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Fresh Frozen Cucumbers

6 servings

1 quart fresh cucumbers
1-1/2 c. thinly sliced onion
1/4 c. coarse salt
1/2 c. vinegar
1 c. sugar

Peel cucumbers and slive very thin. Combine with onions in a medium sized glass or non-reactive bowl. Add salt to cucumber/onions and cover with cold water. Add 12 ice cubes and let sit for 4-6 hours. Chill.

Drain the cucumber mixture well in a colander, then blot them dry with a clean kitchen towel.

Boil vinegar and sugar in a small saucepan; cool. Mix with cucumbers ad freeze in portion sized containers.

Take out of freezer a dn thaw before serving. *Wanda’s tip: Break them apart while still partially frozen. Serve while still cold.

Recipe adapted from Grandma’s Home Kitchen by Wanda Peterson Mango
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Sour Gherkins

Makes 1 quart

4 cups water
7 tsp. pickling salt
1-1/2 tsp. pickling spice
6 sprigs fresh dill
2 dill flowers
2 cloves garlic, peeled and slightly crushed
1 lb. (16-20 2-inch-long) pickling cucumbers

In a medium, no-reactive saucepan, add water, salt and spices. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, for 5 minutes. Remove from heat, uncover and cool. (Spped cooling by placing pan in an ice-water bath)

Place 6 dill sprigs, 1 dill flower and 1 clove garlic in the bottom of a sterilized 1-qt. jar. Add the cucumbers. Top with remaining dill flower and garlic, leaving 1 inch of headspace. Pour cooled brine over the cucumbers to withing 1/8 inch of jar lip. You may have excess brine. Make sure spices get in jar. Wipe jar edge clean. Place sterilized lid firmly on jar and screw the ring on.

Out of direct sunlight and away from heat, place the jar upside down on a counter overnight. After overnight, refrigerate.

Gherkins will be ready to eat in 10 days after refrigerating. Shelf life- about 6 months.

I like making a salad of yogurt, garlic, dill and cucumbers? Sounds a lot like the soup listed above though.

Or mash them for a relaxing facial.

I eat half a dozen cukes every day in season and never tire of them.

This is very refreshing, sorta pickley, but won't really seem like pickles: mix equal amounts sugar and vinegar. at least 1T each per cuke. Slice cukes (probably peeled, but it's up to you) add sugar/vinegar and water to cover. Let sit at least half an hour.

or:

remove some water from sliced cukes by soaking with a little salt for half an hour. drain, rinse, dain. Make a sauce of 1 cup sour cream, pinch sugar, 2 tsp cider vinegar, 1T minced onion, bp, herbs if you want. let sit on cukes for at least half an hour. 1 cup of sour cream will coat 2-3 cukes. Use left over sour cream (if any) for salad dressing.

I love the idea of yogurt, garlic and dill.

I like to sprinlke thinlu sliced cukes with soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, sesame oil, toasted sesame seeds and a little chive or green onion for a nice flavor twist.

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Here's another fave--
Kylie Kwong's Hot and Sour Cucumber Salad

4 small cucumbers, peeled
1 large green chilli, deseeded and finely sliced
1 large red chilli, deseeded and finely sliced
2 spring onions, trimmed and finely sliced

Dressing
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
5cm piece ginger, finely chopped
1 tbsp brown sugar
3 tbsp brown rice vinegar
3 tbsp light soy sauce
2 tbsp sesame oil

Serves 4-6

Cut cucumbers in half lengthways and then into 5mm slices on the diagonal.
In a bowl, combine cucumber with chillies and spring onions.
To make the dressing, combine ingredients in a small bowl. Spoon dressing over salad, toss gently and serve.

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Cold cucumber gazpacho would be good too. Tabouleh too.

Cucumber dill sauce for salmon or chicken sandwiches- yum.

Ginger Peanut Pasta Salad

Salad Ingredients
8 oz. corkscrew macaroni or fine noodles
20 fresh pea pods (tips and stems removed)
1 small cucumber (quartered lengthwise and sliced)
2 medium carrots (cut into long thin strips)
1 medium yellow and/or green sweet pepper (cut into thin strips)
3/4 cup thinly sliced radishes (optional)
1/2 cup bias-sliced green onions
3 Tbsp. snipped fresh cilantro
1 recipe Ginger Salad dressing (below)
1/3 cup chopped peanuts
Cook pasta according to package directions. During last 30 seconds, add pea pods. Rinse with cold water and drain. Combine pasta and veggies. Add Ginger Salad dressing and toss gently to coat. Cover and chill for 2-8 hours. To serve, toss salad and sprinkle w/ peanuts.

Ginger Salad Dressing

1/4 cup salad oil
3 Tbsp rice vinegar
2 Tbsp sugar
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp grated ginger root
several dashes hot pepper sauce (I used Durkee's)
Combine ingredients in a jar. Cover and shake. Can chill up to 3 days.

How about a cucumber soup or a cucumber mint lassi? You can also try making a tzatziki sauce out of them to add to other recipes. Let me know if you need recipes!

Oh I agree with Hilary's suggestion of tzatziki sauce.
Its so good on soooo many things. I used to eat it on burgers, sandwiches, pitas, dips, spreads omg so good!

* 3 cups plain yogurt (do not use low-fat or nonfat try for greek)
* 1 English hothouse cucumber (about 16 ounces), I like mine half-peeled seeds in (but some beg to differ)
* 3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh dill
* 3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley (or even cilantro?)
* 1 large garlic clove, minced very very fine

Place strainer over large bowl. Line strainer with 3 layers of cheesecloth. Spoon yogurt into cheesecloth-lined strainer; let stand at room temperature to drain 3 hours (liquid will drain out and yogurt will thicken). Transfer yogurt to medium bowl; discard liquid.

Meanwhile, coarsely grate cucumber using your standard grator. Place in another strainer; let stand at room temperature until most of liquid drains out, about 3 hours. Discard liquid. Squeeze excess moisture from cucumber.

Mix cucumber, herbs and garlic into yogurt. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)

You will never be the same. :)

Thank you all so much for the great ideas! I feel better already. Time to head home and try some of these recipes. Those lil' green guys are waiting for me...

Other than making lots of tzatziki, I am so on board with the pickling suggestion. I don't have a garden so right now, I would love to have an influx of cucumber. Delicious. Also a white gazpacho.

Find some tomatoes and red peppers and onions and roast them for gazpacho and blend the cucumbers in the blender for some great soup.

An old southern summer favorite - sliced cukes, onions and tomatoes in white vinegar served chilled

Sour cream dill cucumber salad. Slice cucumbers thin. Place in bowl with very salty water. Soak for a few hours. Drain and dry cucumbers. Slather in sour cream and dill. Refrigerate.

Juice them and use 'em for cucumber martinis. Did this at a party a few years ago and friends still talk about it.

Cucumber/dill bread yummy.

@maryannm: As a cucumber, gin and vodka lover: would you be so kind to provide your recipe/technique?

Do you use a juicer?
Vodka or Gin or....?
...sounds like I found my martini-bliss!

dang, no kidding-cough up that cuke-tini recipe stat!
i wish i had your problem..love cucumbers!
jacques pepin's has some great recipes for cukes, including this one:
http://www.bigoven.com/119945-Pan-Bagna---Jacques-Pepin-recipe.html
i also like to pair them up with some lox, red onion, and cream cheese on bagels.

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