I love this recipe from Sunset magazine. Who thinks of these combinations? Love this one. And I like the idea of steaming the potatoes instead of boiling. Just be sure your potato pieces are all the same size so they’ll steam evenly.
Combine pecans and parsley in blender or food processor and pulse until powdery in texture. Add cheese, milk, garlic, paprika, and ground red pepper and puree until smooth. Fill cucumbers with mixture, patting into place with fork or spoon. Slice into wedges and lightly sprinkle tops with a little extra paprika.
As far as I’m concerned, it’s never too early in the season to put up pickles! I wish I could remember where this recipe came from, but it’s full of good instructions about proper canning. If you don’t want to do the sterilizing and boiling bath canning, then make the pickles and refrigerate them as soon as the brine cools. Consider them refrigerator pickles and eat them in a week or two.
To sterilize canning jars, submerge them in boiling water for at least 10 minutes and until they are ready to be filled. Use new lids, and sterilize them according to manufacturer’s instructions.
Another amazing week of vegetables. That head of romaine is just right for grilling – if you’re so inclined. I shared directions for grilling lettuce a few weeks ago, but basically – wash the head, cut it in half lengthwise, brush the cut sides with olive oil and grill. Dress it with a simple vinaigrette.…
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The gorgeous head of lettuce in my CSA box made me run for the salad bowl. Slice up the radishes you don’t put into a sandwich, add the cucumbers and then make this simple dressing. You could sliver some of the Napa cabbage into your salad as well. And what about boiling up a few of those eggs and adding egg halves? Now you’ve got a perfect lunch or light dinner.
The contents of a box like this one just beg to be turned into refrigerator pickles. You should have just enough cucumbers for this recipe. You’ll use a pepper or two, and if you’ve still got an onion around (mine are all gone – sadly), then you’ve got most everything you need. This makes a sort of bread-and-butter pickle. Other fresh refrigerator pickles don’t use sugar and add garlic and dill to make a kosher style pickle. There’ll be a million recipes online.
Loved getting cucumbers back again – perfect for a Greek salad. This one came from seriouseats.com but there are a million variations. This one salts the tomatoes and cucumbers to get rid of some of the water, and rinses the onion to calm a little of its bite.
Yes, Virginia, you can eat cooked cucumbers. (Goodness, am I the only one old enough to get that reference?)
Probably 2 years ago I put out a recipe that called for adding peeled chunks of cucumber to a stir fry. You put them in just at the last minute and cook only until the cucumbers are heated through, stopping before they lose their crunch. Really delicious.
And we’ve a recipe or two for cold cucumber soups, usually yogurt- or buttermilk-based, and with the cucumbers used raw. This recipe for a soup with cooked cucumbers is from Paige Witherington of Serenbe Farms. She adapted it from “Home Made” by Yvette Van Boven.
How did I miss this in the bounty of onion ideas we’ve been sending your way? Hope you still have a few onions to experiment with.
Let’s talk cucumbers. I’ve got two ideas for you. One drink, one pickle (see Garlic Dill Pickles).
From “The Deen Brothers Get Fired Up: Grilling, Tailgating, Picnicking, and More” by Jamie & Bobby Deen and Melissa Clark (Ballantine Books).
Serves 6
