Posts Tagged cucumbers

Cucumbers

February 2, 2014 at 6:47 am · Filed under general veggie dish, salad ·Tagged

cucumbers

Yusuke frequently makes this fast, fresh, tasty dish—especially in summer.

This iteration uses farm-fresh local organic cukes, which is a rare treat for us. Very crunchy.

The preparation steps proceed thusly:

  1. Wash cucumbers and slice off the ends
  2. Bash the cucumbers with a blunt instrument, e.g., the handle of a large knife (carefully!), so as to “bruise” them
  3. Slice open the cucumbers lengthwise, then cut them into smaller pieces (2-3 inches long)
  4. Put them into a large mixing bowl
  5. Pour in the following and mix well to coat the cukes:
  • 2 tbsp sesame oil
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp rice vinegar
  • 1 tbsp minced ginger
  • pinch of sugar

That’s it. You can also add a sprinkle of shichimi togarashi (Japanese chili powder mix) when served.

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Harusame salad

September 1, 2012 at 5:36 am · Filed under pasta & noodles, salad ·Tagged , ,

Perfect salad for summer. The base is lettuce, although I’m not sure of the variety. Is it just “leaf lettuce”?

The salad also includes fresh tomatoes and cucumbers. The star of the night, though, was harusame. I blogged about these lovely noodles before. And for your convenience, I’ve copied over my past description!

So what are harusame noodles, one might ask?

The wikipedia article offers the translation “cellophane noodles,” which sounds pretty much unappetizing to me. But other descriptions are better: glass noodles, bean thread noodles, or vermicelli.

According to Wise Geek, they’re Japanese noodles made from potatoes, sweet potatoes, rice, or mung bean starch.

The noodles are extremely thin and become translucent when cooked. Since they’re less dense or “doughy” than other types of noodles, they’re delightful in soup!

Harusame (春雨) means spring rain, and you can google for more pics.

Harusame can be found in most Japanese or Korean grocery stories, but my mum-in-law sent our stock. Very light to ship!

The dressing for the salad was sesame oil, soy sauce, and vinegar (well, possibly…notes lost). Yusuke also mixed mayonnaise into his serving.

Definitely a CSA basket highlight.

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Gazpacho

July 31, 2012 at 10:59 pm · Filed under general soup ·Tagged , ,

A summer classic, great for using the contents of a CSA basket. It’s also super-simple.

Dump for following in a blender:

  • Tomatoes (either fresh, or canned + drained)
  • Red bell pepper
  • Chopped white onions
  • Cucumbers
  • Fresh garlic
  • Olive oil
  • Balsamic vinegar
  • A pinch of sea salt
  • A pinch of black pepper
  • Cumin
  • 1 piece of multigrain bread (no crust)
  • Water: a fair amount, but not too much!

After the mixture is smooth, chill…then eat!

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Cucumber vichyssoise

September 18, 2011 at 5:55 am · Filed under general soup ·Tagged , ,

This lovely soup is a type of vichyssoise, with a puréed potato-base as the distinguishing feature.

Yusuke started by heating a saucepan and then sautéeing garlic in olive oil. He then added thinly sliced white onions and potatoes that had been cut into small pieces. When the onions started to change colour, he added 1 cup of water with chicken (or vegetable) bouillon powder, and salt & pepper.

He let everything cook for a while and set the pot aside to cool.

Stage two began with a giant cucumber that was chopped into pieces and liquefied in the blender.

Next, he added 1 cup of soy milk, 3/4 cup of plain yogurt, and lots of chopped fresh dill.

He then added cooked potato mixture to the blender and let it whirl until smooth.

To serve, he added a drizzle of olive oil and more fresh dill. Magnifique.

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