Currently viewing the tag: "cucumber"
I do get a lot of interesting looks when I mention cooking cucumbers, but they are really good. Much of their appeal rests on cooking just enough so they get hot all the way through, but are still succulent and crisp. This dish relies on temperature contrasts (hot cucumbers and cold tomatoes) and sweet/bitter contrasts (cucumber has a slight bitterness in the background, tomato has a slight acidity, and they both have sweetness) for interest. A very simple dish that is easy to play with; add garlic, basil, pine nuts, etc. for variation.
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Here is a salad with nice textural contrasts that is light but very satisfying. The beans can be done a day or two ahead of time. Making extra beans allows you to use them for other things such as a smashed paste as a dip for chips or crackers, part of a vegetable braise, or an accompaniment to sausages.
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This salad is a contrast of textures and flavor elements. Soft butter lettuce and crunchy radish. Bright clean flavors of radish and lettuce against the smoky charred notes of earthy funk laden scallions. This is nice with a big slab of well toasted country rye bread with plenty of really good butter on it flecked with large crystal salt such as Murray River or Sel de Guerande.
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For this recipe you will need to find a Japanese market or a good fish market. In the Santa Cruz/Watsonville area you can find what you need at Yamashita Market in Watsonville. As the tuna is served raw, be careful in your selection. This recipe is a contrast of crunches and a synthesis of flavors. The tobiko pop, the cucumber crunches, and the tuna sort of melts and has a little chew to it at the same time. The clean wet taste of cucumber harmonizes with the briny roe while acting as a foil to the saltiness. The sweet, slightly oily, and umami flavors of the tuna are set off by the other elements. The dressing is used sparingly, as a surprise accent that pops up as a little jolt of bass-line to the rest of the salads higher notes of flavor. This is an appetizer, or part of a string of dishes. The recipe is written as a small appetizer-just a few bites, as in 3-4. If you wish a bit more, double the volume.
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This is not so much a recipe as it is a whole around a few ingredients. These are variations of a favorite breakfast/lunch/snack/light dinner with salad, party appetizer of mine. The core of this “dish” is a sushi roll called the Norway Roll from when I had a sushi bar which was cucumber sticks, thin slices of smoked salmon and Meyer lemon, the dill cream cheese, and dill scattered on the outside of the roll.
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This is a dish of subtle flavors. The cucumbers lend a touch of bitter to contrast with the sweet rich cream which takes on a touch of caramelization with reduction. Their texture is firm and tender at the same time, while the beans are softer but still have a little bite to them. Bits of almond add a definite crunch to counter the soft onion. This pairs up well with simply cooked fowl or steak. You could cut the beans into 1-inch lengths and then toss this dish with pasta, perhaps adding herbed bread crumbs and cheese to the dish to finish it up. If the idea of cooked cucumbers is too weird for you, simply omit them, knowing the dish will be richer without them.
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Here is a variation on a theme. I love the cucumber salad called sunomono that you get in Japanese restaurants. Long ago, when I had a sushi bar of my own, I used to experiment with this technique, using whatever vegetable struck my fancy.
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Tagged with: basic • black spanish radish • cucumber • dairy-free • gluten-free • purple plum radish • quickles • radish • Tokyo turnips • turnips • vegan • vegetarian • watermelon radishes
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