Thai Cucmuber Salad

This is the last of the Thai inspired recipes. At least for a little while. I really can't make any promises.

The search for this recipe was inspired by the continuous onslaught of cucumbers from our CSA farm. If only they sent us slightly smaller cucs...I'm itching to try a few fermented pickle recipes...

Ever notice the trends the circulate among food blogs? Paleo and vegan diets are dominating my news feed. And the spiral cutter was all the rage this summer. Zucchini pasta anyone?

I don't buy the hype. Just let me get to the tasty food...

adapted from She Knows

serves 4

The Ingredients:
2 medium cucumbers, thinly sliced
1/2 cup cilantro, coarsely chopped
2-3 Tbsp cup toasted sesame seeds
2 Tbsp lime juice
1 1/2 Tbsp fish sauce
1 Tbsp tamari or soy sauce
1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 tsp sesame oil
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 clove garlic, minced
salt and pepper to taste

The Porcess:
In a medium bowl, combine the cucumber, cilantro and sesame seeds.

In a small bowl, whisk together the lime juice, fish sauce, soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil, red pepper flakes and garlic. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Drizzle the dressing over the cucumbers and toss to coat.

Cucumber, Edamame and Tuna Salad with Garlic Thyme Vinaigrette

Sometimes it's the simple things in life that bring the most pleasure. Of course this salad had the added bonus of putting a dent in my ever growing crop of cucumbers.

the recipe is my own

serves 2

The Ingredients:
1 - 5 oz can tuna, drained
1/2 cup edamame, shelled
2 small cucumbers, diced
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp white wine vinegar
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp fresh thyme
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup feta, crumbled

The Process:
In a medium bowl, toss together the tuna, edamame, and cucumbers.

In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, garlic, thyme and salt. Adjust to taste with additional salt and pepper.

Drizzle vinaigrette over salad, and toss to coat. Top with feta.

Serve immediately

Snap Pea and Cucumber Salad with Radish and Dill

Veggies, veggies, everywhere! This salad is a nice change of pace from the usual mayo and pasta heavy side dishes at the summer's frequent potlucks and BBQs. And yet another wonderful excuse to use up the bounty of our CSA box!

This may be the last of the snap and sugar peas of the season. Which is truly a pity. Out of all of our farm's bounty, I love to snack on the sugar peas the most. They were plentiful this year, but we went through them before I had a change to blanche and freeze any for the winter. Ah well. Enjoy them while they are fresh!

The salad is sturdy enough to endure a day in the sun, unlike it's mayo laden brethren. However, after a day of so, the peas do begin to pickle and loose their vibrant green color. Do try to eat this salad up as quickly as possible!

adapted from Giada De Laurentiis' recipe on Food Network

serves 4-6

The Ingredients:
1 1/2 lbs sugar snap peas, trimmed
2 small cucumbers, quarted and cut into 1/2-inch bites
1 small bunch of radishes, trimmed, halved and cut into 1/4-inch slices
1/4 cup dill
Juice and zest of 1/2 a lemon
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

The Process:

Prep a large bowl full of water and ice. Set aside. 

 

Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil over high heat. Add the snap peas and cook until vibrant green, about 1 to 2 minutes. Drain the peas into a colander and immediately transfer to the bowl of ice water. This stops the residual heat in the peas from continuing to cook them. Leave the peas in the ice water for 2 minutes. Drain well and transfer to a larger serving bowl. 

Quarter the cucumbers legthenwise and cut into 1/2-inch slices. Trim the tops and tips from the radishes. Cut each in half lengthwise and cut into 1/4-inch slices. Add the cucumber, radish and dill to the salad bowl and toss with the peas to combine. 

In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice and zest with the oil until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Drizzle dressing over the salad and toss to coat. Chill until ready to serve.

Lemon Dill Orzo Salad

Here's a little something simple for your next picnic or potluck. This salad was huge hit the last time I made it. Enjoy!

adapted from Two Peas and Their Pod

serves 8-10

The Ingredients:
for the salad
2 cups (about 12 oz) dry orzo
2 cans (15 oz) chickpeas, rinsed and drained
2 cups chopped cucumber
1/2 cup diced red onion
1 cup crumbled feta
1/2 cup fresh dill, chopped

for the dressing
6 Tbsp oil
6 Tbsp lemon juice
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp dill, minced
salt and pepper to taste





The Process:
In a large saucepan bring 3 quarts lightly salted water to boiling. Add the orzo and cook until al dente, about 7-9 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water. Allow to cool.

In a large bowl, combine cooled orzo, chickpeas, cucumber, onion, feta, and dill.

In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon, oil, dill and garlic until well combined. Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Drizzle over salad and toss to coat.

Garlic Dill Pickles

I while back I wrote about some of the canning adventures I undertook to overcome the influx of produce upon us.  Well, the day of reckoning is upon us.  The dill pickles have fully pickled and are ready to share world.  I'm sure the remaining jars will improve with age.

I however, am far to impatient to wait much longer before sampling the fruits of my labor.

Adapted from recipes at epicurious and food in jars

yields 3 one-pint jars

The Ingredients:
3-4 cucumbers
3 cloves of garlic, peeled and bruised
3 spring of fresh dill
3 tsp pickling spice
1 1/2 cups water
1 1/2 cups white vinegar (apple cider vinegar can be substituted)
1 1/2 Tbsp salt

The Process:
Sterilize the pint jars and lids in boiling water.  Keep warm until ready to use.

In a medium saucepan over high heat, bring the vinegar, water and salt to a gentle boil..

Wash the cucumbers and slice into spears or coins.  To each  jar add a sprig of dill, one bruised clove of garlic, 1 tsp of pickling spice.  Distribute the cucumbers evenly among the pint jars, being sure to pack them tightly in without damaging.

Carefully pour the hot brine over the cucumbers, stopping 1/2" from the lip of the jar.  Wipe the rims of the jars clean and top with lids, screwing them finger tight (not TOO tight). Submerge the  filled jars into a water bath of boiling water and boil for 10 minutes (process times may vary by elevation).

Remove the jars from the water and allow to cool.  Test the seals and reprocess any that have not properly sealed.

Store in a cool, dry place.  Pickles are ready to eat in about 1 week.  Will store for up to 1 year.

The Review:
Homemade pickles.  Better than store bought?  Perhaps to some.  These are not the Heinz Genuine Dill...in all their moth puckering glory.

But these pickles certainly aren't bad.  I have one small complaints...one I know I can rectify for next time.  First...this pickling spice I used was WAY too heavy on the cloves.  Note to self...make own pickling spice and stick with dill seed, corricader and peppercorns.

The texture threw me at first.  The slices weren't as crisp as I was expecting.  They improved remarkable once they was chilled.  And in retrospect...store varities really aren't that crisp either.

Next up, I believe is a jar or two of whole pickle, instead of slice or spears.  Time for a trip to the farmer's market...

Ina Garten's Creamy Cucumber Salad

Growing up, cucumbers didn't appear in our fridge very often.  When they did we'd often find them sliced and lightly salted in a bowl on the counter a few days later.  As a kid, I loved to sneak a slice or too.  Cool, salty, crisp.  Inevitably little fingers would snitch another.  And another.  We knew our mom was waiting for the cucumbers to weep enough to mix up her classic creamy cucumber salad.  By the time we were done, there was barely enough cucumber left for one serving.  But I don't ever remember being reprimanded.  I think she enjoyed the lightly salted slices just as much as we did.

Beyond the cucumber, onion and sour cream, I have no idea how my mom prepared that summer time favorite.  I suspect if I got her to talk me through the recipe the result would read "a dollop of this,  a dash of that."  Sometimes those are the best recipes.

Perhaps I should have picked her brain before searching online for another creamy cucumber salad.  I found one at foodnetwork which seemed acceptable.  But as with other attempts of Ina Garten's recipes, I greatly reduced the amount of salt and dressing used.  The dish is good.  Not Mom's, but still good....

adapted from Ina Garten's recipe at foodnetwork.

serves 8-10

The Ingredients:
2 lbs cucumbers (2-3 medium), thinly sliced
1 small onion, thinly sliced
kosher salt
1 1/3 cups Greek yogurt
1/3 cup sour cream
1 Tbsp white wine vinegar or lemon juice
1/3 cup fresh dill, finely chopped
pepper to taste

The Process:
Combine the onions and cucumbers in a large sieve or colander.   Generously sprinkle with salt.  Toss to coat.  Place the colander over a bowl and set in the refrigerator to drain for 4 hour or over night...the longer the cucumbers can weep, the less soupy the salad will be in the long run.  Discard any liquid that collects in the bowl.  Pat the cucumber and onions dry, removing some of the excess salt.  Set aside

In a large bowl, whisk together the Greek yogurt, sour cream, vinegar and dill.  Add the cucumber and onions; toss to coat.  Season with pepper and salt to taste.  Refrigerate for at least one hour prior to serving to allow the flavors to mingle.  Serve chilled.

The Review:
Wow, Ina.  This recipe after modification was near perfect.  Highly reminiscent of my mother's.  I cannot imagine how soupy the dish would have been had I not cut back on the the quantity of yogurt and sour cream her recipe called for.  More tzatziki than salad, I suppose.

Nit picking aside, this was indeed a close recollection of mom's classic summer dish.  Cool.  Refreshing.  Pack with crunch, yet mellow and creamy.  It is a perfect accompaniment to spicier grilled dishes...serving as a palette cleanser.

The was not a favorite of many at our BBQ, however.  Those who tries it enjoyed it.  But a lot was left over at the end of the day.  And it is not a salad that keeps particularly well.  The next day the leftovers had wept a salty pool of cucumber tears...even after having drained them a full 6 hours before assembling the salad.  Draining off some of the liquid we found the cucumbers still maintained some of their crunch.  Only the flavor was not as wonderful as it had been the day before.

No wonder my mom made the dish one cucumber at a time...