Tuesday, July 26, 2016

Cucumber Cool

Now is the time to eat watery foods. In the sweltering heat of summer, when the body sweats like mad, the universe sends out foods full of water to refresh us: cucumbers, zucchinis and other summer squashes, melons of all kinds and berries.  So it's medically correct to indulge!

Did zucchini, so here comes cucumber recipes to keep you well watered. Hot climates offer lots of them. And the best news is you don't need to turn on your stove to heat up the place for something good to eat.

Vietnamese Cucumber Salad
serves 4
1/3 c rice wine vinegar
1/4 c granulated sugar
1/2 tsp salt
3 tbsp water
2 English cucumbers or 4 slicing cucumbers,
1 sm yellow onion, thinly sliced into half moon rings
10 large mint leaves, chopped
1 Serrano chili very thinly sliced into strips (seeded first)
6 sprigs cilantro, finely shopped
2 tbsp roasted chopped peanuts

Half cucumbers lengthwise and then thinly slice into disks.
Combine vinegar, water, sugar and salt and blend well.
Add cucumbers, onion, mint, chili and cilantro and toss to blend.
Let the salad sit 15 minutes to marinate.
Garnish with chopped peanuts and serve.

Lebanese Fa'atoush
This is the ordinary salad on every table every day in the Levant, including Israel. 
There are as many recipes for it as there are cooks making it, so you don't have to stick to this one. It's actually a tad idiosyncratic in that the bread isn't fried first and it uses a buttermilk dressing. The most basic recipe is simply chopped cucumbers, radishes, scallions, tomatoes and fried day-old bread dressed with olive oil and maybe sumac.


scant 1 cup Greek yogurt and 3⁄4 cup plus 2 tbsp whole milk—or instead 1 2/3 cups buttermilk
2 large stale flatbreads or naan (9 oz bread in total)
3 large tomatoes, cut into 2/3” dice
3 oz radishes, thinly sliced
3 Lebanese or Persian cucumbers peeled and chopped into 2/3” dice
2 scallions, thinly sliced
1⁄2 oz fresh mint
scant 1 oz flat-leaf parsley, coarsely chopped
1 tbsp dried mint
2 cloves garlic, crushed
3 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 cup olive oil, plus extra to drizzle
2 tbsp cider or white wine vinegar
3⁄4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp sumac or more to taste for garnish

If using yogurt and milk, start at least 3 hours and up to a day in advance by placing both in a bowl. Whisk well and leave in a cool place or in the fridge until bubbles form on the surface. What you get is a kind of homemade buttermilk, but less sour.
Tear the bread into bite-size pieces and place in a large mixing bowl. Add your fermented yogurt mixture or commercial buttermilk, followed by the rest of the ingredients, mix well, and leave for 10 minutes for all the flavors to combine.
Spoon the fattoush into serving bowls, drizzle with some olive oil, and garnish generously with sumac. 

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 cups plain Greek yogurt
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 small shallot, chopped
1 garlic clove
1/3 cup loosely packed dill
1/4 cup loosely packed flat-leaf parsley leaves
2 tablespoons 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 the chopped cucumber with the yogurt, lemon juice, shallot, garlic, dill, parsley, tarragon and the 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.

Chopped Middle Eastern Salad with Tahini and Za'atar
A variation on fattoush from Ottolenghi
serves 4

6 ripe plum tomatoes, cut into 1cm dice
2 mini-cucumbers, trimmed and cut into 1cm dice
1 red pepper, seeds, stalk and pith removed, cut into 1cm dice
5 spring onions, trimmed and thinly sliced on an angle
15g coriander leaves, roughly chopped
2 tbsp lemon juice
3 tbsp olive oil
Salt
200g feta, cut into 4 rectangular blocks (optional)
4 tbsp tahini
2 tsp za’atar
Put the chopped tomatoes in a sieve over a bowl for 20 minutes. Discard the resulting juice and put the tomatoes, cucumbers, pepper, spring onions and coriander in a large bowl. Add the lemon juice, oil and half a teaspoon of salt, and stir gently to combine.
To serve, arrange the feta (if using) on four plates and spoon the salad on top, making sure some of the feta remains visible. Pour a spoonful of tahini over each portion and finish with a sprinkle of za’atar.

Bhutanese Hogay


A salad without 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.

Creamy Cucumber Salad (with sour cream)
serves 5


1½ lbs cucumbers (2 English cucumbers or 7-10 small ones)
½ medium purple or yellow onion, thinly sliced
1 Tbsp fresh or frozen dill, chopped
¾ cup sour cream (reduced fat is ok)
½ Tbsp fresh lemon juice (from ½ small lemon)
1 large or 2 small garlic cloves, pressed
½ tsp sea salt and pinch black pepper, or to tast
e

In a small bowl, combine ¾ cup sour cream, ½ Tbsp lemon juice, 2 pressed garlic cloves, 1 Tbsp dill, 1 tsp salt and a pinch of pepper. Stir and set aside while prepping salad.
Slice cucumbers into thin rounds or half rounds if using large cucumbers. Place in a large mixing bowl. Add thinly sliced onion. Just before serving stir sauce into the salad and mix to coat cucumbers. After adding sauce, the salad will stay fresh for about 2-3 hours if refrigerated.
 
Cucumber Salsa 
 2 cups finely chopped seeded peeled cucumber
1/2 cup finely chopped seeded tomato
1/4 cup chopped red onion
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
4-1/2 teaspoons minced fresh cilantro
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream
1-1/2 teaspoons lemon juice
1-1/2 teaspoons lime juice
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon seasoned salt
In a small bowl, combine the first seven ingredients. In another bowl, combine the sour cream, lemon juice, lime juice, cumin and seasoned salt. Pour over cucumber mixture and toss gently to coat. Serve immediately with chips.


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