cucumbers Archives - The Midnight Baker

Ginger Garlic Cucumber Salad

Judith Hannemann — Sat, 30 Jun 2018 23:00:47 +0000

Ginger garlic cucumber salad is perfect for a hot summer day because it’s very cooling. Easy to make too.

Cucumber Salad Goes Asian

Since I love cucumbers and specifically cucumber salad, I’m always jonesing for new recipes.

I’ve made the classic creamy salad and dill varieties for years. Recently, I posted this other Asian cucumber salad which uses different flavors.

Try them all if you like!

Prepping the Cukes

Cucumbers have a lot of water in them. If you don’t get a lot of it out, it’ll make the dressing watery and dilute the flavor somewhat. Of course, if you don’t mind this and you plan to serve the salad immediately, then you can bypass this step.

First of all, I strongly suggest using a mandolin to slice the the cukes. You want them very thin and you just cannot get uniformity using a knife–no matter how good your knife skills are.

Next you lay the slices in a colander and sprinkle with a bit of kosher salt–don’t go overboard; about a teaspoon is enough. Then you have to weight them down. I have a large colander so what I do is place an 8-inch cast iron skillet in a plastic bag and put that on top. Now just let this sit for 30 minutes.

Next step is to lay the slices on some paper towels and blot the cukes to dry them as much as you can. Now you’re ready to make up the salad.

The Dressing

This dressing is ultra simple.

All you have to do is mix the ingredients together. Note that there is no salt in the dressing and that’s mainly because you used it to prep the cucumbers

The Recipe

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Ginger Garlic Cucumber Salad

Ginger garlic cucumber salad is perfect for a hot summer day because it’s very cooling. Easy to make too.

Prep Time30

Total Time30

Course: Salad

Cuisine: Asian

Keyword: cucumber salad, cucumbers, summer salad

Servings: 4

Calories: 126kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

2 seedless cucumbers i.e. European (see NOTES)
2 tbs kosher salt
3 green onions finely sliced
1 tbs finely minced cilantro

For the Dressing:

1 tsp minced fresh ginger
1 clove garlic minced
2 1/2 tbs vegetable oil
1 tbs low-sodium soy sauce
2 tsp dark sesame oil
1 tsp sugar

Instructions

Slice cucumbers very thinly. A mandolin is best for this.
Place sliced cucumbers in a colander and sprinkle with the kosher salt. Toss so they are well coated. Set the colander in the sink so they drain. Let stand 15-20 minutes.
Lay the cucumber slices on a kitchen towel and pat to dry; place them in a large bowl then add the green onions and cilantro.
For the dressing: Mix the sugar, ginger, garlic and soy sauce in a small bowl until sugar is dissolved. Whisk in the oils then pour over cucumber slices and toss to coat.
Refrigerate until ready to use. This salad will keep about 2 days but the dressing will get a bit watery (but still taste good).

Notes

Don’t use regular cucumbers (store bought) because they are waxed. Kirby’s (pickling cucumbers) are a good substitute for the European ones.

Nutrition

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Asian Cucumber Salad

Judith Hannemann — Tue, 22 May 2018 23:00:59 +0000

There’s nothing more cooling or delicious on a hot day than these cucumbers!

Cool As A Cucumber

I found this little gem in an email I get from New York Times Cooking Sad to say I don’t find too many things quite to my liking in many of these emails. Mainly the reason is that the recipes are way too time consuming for me now that I got really lazy LOL. Moreover, many of the ingredients are not available locally for me anymore. When I lived in New York City it wasn’t a problem. Now it is.

However, this recipe sparked a lot of interest since I just bought 2 European cucumbers that day. The original recipe called for “thin-skinned” cucumbers and the first choice was Persian. I’ve never seen Persian cucumbers where I live now…so you see what I mean about hard-to-find or impossible-to-find ingredients!

There’s A Little Prep

Yep, there’s a little prep involved, but nothing overly complicated.

First you have to smash the cucumber portions until the skin splits–hence the need for thin-skinned cucumbers. I would suggest you use a very wide blade knife such as a cleaver, and use the smooth side of a meat mallet to gently smash them. Next time I will do this as the heel of my hand kind of took a little beating here, but nothing too serious. I just think using the cleaver and meat mallet will make it much easier.

The smashing releases the seeds. Just running your fingers along the seed-flesh line should do the trick–did for me–but you could also use a melon baller to clear out the seeds.

After you cut them in the called-for size, you have to salt and sugar them to pull out most of the excess water. Don’t go overboard on the salt–a little will go a long way. Just make sure to use equal portions of salt and sugar. I used about 2 teaspoons of each.

Awesome Dressing

The dressing is only a mixture of very common ingredients, but it’s one of the most delicious dressings I’ve ever tasted.

You might want to make double the amount so you have some on hand for other salads. It should go well with baby spinach or a spring greens mix.

The Recipe

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Asian Cucumber Salad

There’s nothing more cooling or delicious on a hot day than Asian cucumber salad!

Prep Time40

Total Time40

Course: salads

Cuisine: Asian

Keyword: cucumber salad, cucumbers, summer salad

Servings: 4 -6

Calories: 104kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

2 lbs seedless cucumbers such as English or European
1 tsp kosher salt plus more for cucumbers
2 tsp granulated sugar plus more for cucumbers
1 ½ tbs rice vinegar
2 tsp sesame oil
2 tsp soy sauce
1 tbs olive oil
2 cloves garlic minced or put through a press
red pepper flakes to taste
1 handful cilantro leaves for garnish
2 tsp toasted white sesame seeds for garnish (optional)

Instructions

Rinse cucumbers and pat dry. Cut crosswise into pieces about 4 inches long. Cut each piece in half lengthwise.
On a 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 cucumber 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.

Nutrition

*Adapted from NYT

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Half Sour Pickles

Judith Hannemann — Thu, 11 Jun 2015 23:00:00 +0000

Half Sour Pickles

Half sour pickles are a big delicatessen treat, but they’re easy to make at home–and cheaper than the store!

The best part of any deli visit for me is scarfing mass quantities of half sour pickles. I can’t get enough of these!

But years ago, I discovered how stupidly easy they are to make, so from then on, I made my own and saved about $4 over buying them at the supermarket.

Why buy? They’re ridiculously easy to make!

My old recipe had alum in it–that is no longer necessary because we now have refrigeration. The alum was just to keep the cukes from going spongy in a root cellar. I never saw the need for it and never used it. In the fridge, you don’t have to worry about “spongy.”

The best part of these pickles is that if, and that’s a big if, they last, they never go bad. They just go to full sour which are exactly like the barrel pickles from years ago.

In any fresh pack (or processed) pickles, it’s important to use either kosher salt or canning salt because these salts contain none of the chemicals that are used in table salt to keep it from clumping. It also has no iodine–which doesn’t react well in a pickling process. I’d advise buying kosher salt as you can use it so many other ways.

Great with a sammy

The amount of cucumbers you need is variable–because of the size of the cukes. If you can find small thinner ones, then they are perfect because they can remain whole and you can pack a load into a jar. If you grow your own–like I used to years ago–pick them before they get fat. The fat ones you can use for salads and bread & butter pickles because you have to slice them then.

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Half Sour Pickles

Half sour pickles are a big delicatessen treat, but they’re easy to make at home–and cheaper than the store!

Prep Time5

Total Time5

Course: Appetizers, vegetarian dishes

Cuisine: American

Keyword: pickles

Servings: 2 quarts

Calories: 76kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

2 lbs pickling cucumbers aka kirbys
4 cups water
1/4 cup kosher or canning salt
6 cloves garlic crushed (not necessary to peel)
1 tbsp pickling spice
2-4 sprigs fresh dill

Instructions

Wash cucumbers well and slice off the stem and blossom ends.
Wash 2 wide-mouth quart mason jars in hot soapy water; rinse.
Place 3 cloves garlic, 1-2 sprigs of dill and 1/2 tbs pickling spice into each mason jar.
Pack cucumbers into prepared jars--pack them as tightly as you can.
If cucumbers are thick, you may have to slice them in half lengthwise or even quarters (like spears).
Mix the water and salt in a large non-reactive (i.e. ceramic, stainless steel) bowl and stir until salt is dissolved.
Pour enough salt water into each jar to cover cucumbers.
Seal and refrigerate. It will take about a week until they are done on average, but check them in about 5 days.
Makes 2 quarts.

Nutrition

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Cucumber Dill Salad

Judith Hannemann — Tue, 12 May 2015 23:00:00 +0000

Cucumber Dill Salad

This refreshing cucumber and onion salad is a mainstay in NYC German delis. Great served with burgers!

I haven’t eaten this in years. Mainly because I’m no longer close to any good German delicatessens anymore.

Picnic perfect

My sister is visiting and last weekend we were invited to my good friend Lori W’s house for a picnic. Lori served this as one of the sides and we all just went wild! Decided then I was going to make some up too.

Great friends, great food
RIP Charlie 1/2018. You are so missed

This salad is technically a pickle because it’s brined. It’s a very simple fresh-pack brine that can be used for any veggie you want slightly sweet.

Fresh dill is always best, but I didn’t have any so I used the dehydrated kind you find at the grocery. If you want to use fresh, 2 nice bushy sprigs would be about right.

A deli staple

This salad is perfect as a side to cold fried chicken (what Lori had) or with grilled burgers. Great eaten alone too as a starter/appetizer.

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Cucumber Dill Salad

This refreshing cucumber and onion salad is a mainstay in NYC German delis. Great served with burgers!

Prep Time15

Cook Time1

Total Time1 15

Course: salads, vegetarian dishes

Cuisine: American

Keyword: cucumber salad

Servings: 8

Calories: 37kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

1 seedless European cucumber
1 medium white onion

BRINE

1 tsp dill
1/2 cup white vinegar
2 cups water
1 tbsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 cup sugar

Instructions

Using a mandoline (preferred) or a knife, cut cucumber into very thin slices.
Slice onion slightly thicker–maybe 1/16-inch. Cut round onion slices in half and separate.
Mix brine ingredients stirring until sugar and salt are dissolved.
Place cucumbers and onions in a non-reactive (ceramic, glass or stainless steel) large bowl.
Pour brine over cucumber mixture and stir to make sure it is immersed in the brine.
Cover and refrigerate at least 24 hours.

Nutrition

Cucumber Dill Salad

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