Three ways: cucumber
Food writer Emily Gussin shares ideas for enjoying the summer glut of British cucumbers
“THIN SLICES ARE CRISP AND SLIPPERY, WHILE LARGER CHUNKS OR BATONS OFFER SATISFYING CRUNCH AND BURSTING JUICES”
Words & images: Emily Gussin
Tender, scrambling cucumber plants grow well in sunny spots or greenhouses in the UK. If the weather is kind, offering a good amount of both sun and water, the crop they produce will be bountiful from July through to early October.
Crunchy, juicy and refreshing, cucumbers can do far more than simply work as a salad vegetable or a vehicle for dips. Their cooling quality makes them a perfect partner for spice, and their ability to drink up liquids means they absorb flavour. A glut can be preserved in pickles, either as gherkins or sliced cucumbers, or become the show-stealing vegetable on your dinner plate.
The way you chop or slice a cucumber has a surprising influence on its taste. Thin slices will be crisp and slippery, while larger chunks or batons offer satisfying crunch and bursting juices. Bashing a cucumber with a rolling pin or the side of a cleaver will expose a rough, craggy texture that’s ready to soak up sauces. And if you haven’t cooked with cucumber before, you must (try the lamb suggestion below).
Odds and ends of cucumbers need never find their way to the compost bin. In my fridge, I keep a rollover jar of pickled cucumber slices made with a simple brine, to which I add odd slices from the end of a cucumber whenever I have some left over. They pickle in a day or so and will last several weeks. You can make the brine yourself, or when you finish a jar or pickles, start adding cucumber slices to the liquid left behind. Tops and tails or scraped-out cucumber seeds can also be added to a jug of water in the fridge, to recreate spa refreshments at home.
1. Cucumber & scallop aguachile
Aguachile, which translates to ‘chilli water’, is a Mexican dish that uses acidity to lightly ‘cook’ seafood. To make the chilli water, whizz up some cucumber, shallot, chilli, lime juice and water in a blender. Reserve a few leaves from a handful of coriander, then chop the rest and add that to the blend.
The aguachile then just needs something to dress. Scallops are perfect. Slice some fresh, high-quality scallops horizontally into rounds, and thinly slice more cucumber, shallot and chilli. Coat it all in the chilli water and leave it to lightly cure for a few minutes. Then dig in, using a fork and a handful of tostadas to scoop it all up.
2. Smacked cucumber sandwiches
Two cucumber classics combine in this mash-up of an afternoon tea staple and a tongue-tingling Sichuan dish. First scrape out the inner seeds of a cucumber to prevent the sandwich getting soggy. Then use a rolling pin to bash along the skin of the cucumber to bruise and break it. Chop it into small chunks, sprinkle with salt and leave in a colander to draw out some of the excess water. Whisk together garlic, vinegar, soy, sesame oil, chilli oil and sesame seeds then toss through the cucumber.
Ten minutes of marinating will allow the craggy surfaces of the cucumber time to soak up all the flavours. Butter slices of fluffy, white bread then smear on a thick layer of cream cheese. Fill the sandwiches with the cucumbers, ensuring they nestle together snugly. Halve or cut into three finger sandwiches then snaffle quickly.
3. Cumin-spiced lamb & cucumbers
Heat brings a new dimension to cucumbers. For this stir fry, bash a cucumber with a rolling pin to bruise and break it, then cut it into chunks. Slice onion, garlic and chilli so everything is ready before you get cooking – this will be quick and hot. Sizzle cumin seeds in oil then add lamb mince. Once it’s broken up, spread the lamb out thin and cook without stirring for a few minutes to develop a crust.
Continue to stir fry with the onion, garlic and chilli before adding the cucumbers. They only need a few minutes to they soak up the juices while retaining their crisp bite. A splash of vinegar and pomegranate molasses, plus a sprinkling of zaatar finishes the dish, ready to be scooped up with rice or flatbreads.
