Cucumbers come many ways: long and short, fat and thin, dark or light green, spiny or smooth, seedy or not. All serve differing purposes. You don't necessarily have to peel the light green pickling variety. You don't have to seed skinny, knobby Persians.
Here are a few ways the world treats cucumbers. And btw, you can add a cucumber to cold borscht.
Chinese Smashed Cucumber Salad
2 lbs thin-skinned cucumbers like pickling or Persian (8 to 10 mini cucumbers, 4 medium-size or 2 large English greenhouse)
1 tsp kosher salt, plus more for cucumbers
2 tsp granulated sugar, plus more for cucumbers
1 ½ tbsp rice vinegar
2 tsp sesame oil
2 tsp soy sauce
1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 large garlic cloves, minced or put through a press
Red pepper flakes, to taste
Small handful whole cilantro leaves, for garnish
2 tsp toasted white sesame seeds, for garnish
Rinse cucumbers and pat dry. Cut crosswise into 4 inches long pieces, then cut each piece in half lengthwise. On a hard work surface, place a piece of cucumber (or several) cut side down. Lay the blade of a large knife flat on top the cucumber and smash down lightly with your other hand. The skin will begin to crack, the flesh will break down and the seeds will separate. Repeat until the whole piece is smashed. Break or slice diagonally into bite-size pieces, leaving the seeds behind.
Place the pieces in a strainer and toss with a big pinch of salt and a big pinch of sugar. Place a plastic bag filled with ice on top of the cucumbers to serve as a weight and place the strainer over a bowl. Let drain 15 to 30 minutes on the counter, or in the refrigerator until ready to serve, up to 4 hours.
Make the dressing: In a small bowl, combine salt, sugar and rice vinegar. Stir until salt and sugar are dissolved. Stir in sesame oil and soy sauce.
When ready to serve, shake cucumbers well to drain off any remaining liquid and transfer to a serving bowl. Drizzle with olive oil and toss. Add half the dressing, half the garlic and the red pepper flakes to taste, and toss. Keep adding dressing until cucumbers are well coated but not drowned. Taste and add more pepper flakes and garlic if needed. Serve immediately, garnished with cilantro and sesame seeds.
Cold Cucumber Soup
2 large European cucumbers (2 1/4 pounds), halved and seeded—1/2 cup finely diced, the rest coarsely chopped
1 1/2 c plain Greek yogurt
3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 small shallot, chopped
1 garlic clove
1/3 c loosely packed dill
1/4 c loosely packed flat-leaf parsley leaves
2 tbsp loosely packed tarragon leaves
1/4 cup olive oil, plus more for drizzling
Salt
Fresh ground white pepper
1/2 red onion, finely chopped
In a blender, combine chopped cucumber with yogurt, lemon juice, shallot, garlic, dill, parsley, tarragon and 1/4 cup of olive oil. Blend until smooth. Season with salt and white pepper, cover and refrigerate for at least 8 hours or overnight.
Season the soup again just before serving. Pour the soup into bowls. Garnish with the finely diced cucumber, red onion and a drizzle of olive oil and serve.
Chilled Cucumber Soup
serves 4-6
4 c peeled, seeded, chopped cucumbers
2 c water
2 c Greek yogurt, plain
1 lg garlic clove, peeled
4-6 fresh large mint leaves
1 tbsp honey
2 tsp salt
1 tbsp fresh dill
2 chopped scallions finely chopped for garnish
Put everything but the scallion into a food processor or blender and purée. Serve cold garnished with chopped scallion.
Raita/Tsatsiki
This yogurt "chutney" may be the world's favorite cooler. South Asians make it with dill, Mediterranean people with mint. You can do both.
1 pt very thick (Greek style) yogurt, plain
2 garlic cloves, minced
1-2 Persian or pickling cucumbers, halved, sliced paper thin or shredded or diced
½ tsp salt
1 tsp red wine vinegar or fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp olive oil (Optional if you use mint)
2 tsp chopped dill or 1 tbsp minced mint (your choice)
Mix everything in a glass or ceramic bowl and chill overnight so flavors mingle
Gazpacho (Cold Spanish Tomato Soup)
Serves 4-6
1½ lbs tomatoes
2 medium cucumbers
1 green pepper, seeded
¼ cup wine vinegar
1 medium onion, peeled
¼ tsp dried tarragon leaves
1 cup tomato juice
2 garlic cloves, peeled
Pinch of salt
Combine all ingredients in a blender or processor and process until nearly smooth with a few small chunks remaining for texture. Chill. Serve in bowls or glasses, garnished with bite-sized garlic croutons or chopped scallion and/or chopped cilantro.
German Cucumber Salad
recipe from How to Fix a Leek, the book
serves 4
1 lg. or 3 sm. cucumbers
1 red onion, thinly sliced in rings
3 tbsp. oil 2 tbsp. freshly chopped dill
5 tbsp. vinegar Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp. sugar
Using a mandolin or the slicer side of a handheld grater, very thinly slice cucumbers into a glass or ceramic serving bowl. Cut the onion rings in half and add. Season the vegetables with salt and fresh black pepper to your taste. Combine oil, vinegar and sugar and dress the salad, stirring to blend. Stir in the dill. Chill covered at least 2 hours before serving. (You can make this in the morning for dinner.)
Traditional Greek Salad
This is both watery and salty, double perfect for a sweltering day.
serves 4
3 med pickling cucumbers
3 med/lg ripe tomatoes
1 sm crisp green pepper
1 sm purple onion
1 dozen kalamata olives
1/2 lb feta cheese
1 large lemon
1/2 c good quality olive oil
salt and pepper to your taste
Slice the cucumbers into disks, then half each.
Cut the tomatoes in half, then cut the half into large bite sized pieces
Slice the pepper into thin strips, then cut each strip in half
Slice the onion into very thin rings, then slice each in half
Chunk or crumble the feta.
Squeeze the juice of the lemon into a small bowl and combine with the olive oil into dressing.
Put all the vegetables and olives into a serving bowl, season with salt and pepper. Coat with the olive oil dressing and serve
Bhutanese Cucumber Salad
from Veggiyana, the Dharma of Cooking
a surprisingly colorful cooling salad with no dressing!
serves 4
1 English cucumber (the long skinny ones wrapper in cellophane)
1 sm red onion, peeled and finely diced
½ cup crumbled Feta or farmer’s cheese or Ricotta salada
½-1 small hot red pepper, seeded and minced (depending on your preference)
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 tbsp fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
Peel cucumber and slice in half lengthwise. Scoop out seeds and cut the halves in half. Cut crosswise to make bite-sized pieces. Put into serving bowl. Add the remaining ingredients and mix well. Add salt to your taste. Serve.
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