When the temperatures soar and the kitchen heats up, I am looking for light, refreshing and cooling recipes. Almost always the dishes I turn to involve cucumber. One of the reasons they are so refreshing is — aside from being crunchy, green and highly adaptable — they contain 95% water.
You can puree them, juice them, pickle them, slice, dice and more. Cucumbers, a creeping vine, are easy to grow, inexpensive and highly adaptable. Botanically speaking, a cucumber is a fruit, not a vegetable. And they are super healthy: containing Vitamins C and K, fiber and antioxidants. Win-win!
Here are three new, light summer recipes that make the most of summer cucumbers. A gorgeous refreshing drink that combines juiced cucumbers with a lime simple syrup, lime juice, and lots of ice. (You can add rum, vodka, gin or seltzer if you want to fancy it up!) Next a quick refrigerator pickle. Slice cucumbers, add salt, vinegar and dill and hours later you’ve got crispy crunchy pickles. And finally a very light summery open-faced sandwich using dark rye bread, labneh and thin slices of cucumber topped with lemon zest and dill.
Cucumber-lime cool aid
This drink is the very definition of refreshing. Cooling. Summertime. Cucumbers are blended and then strained to create a cucumber juice. Lime zest, sugar and water make a simple syrup. Ice cubes and thin strips of cucumbers are added. That’s it. Could you add seltzer? Rum? Gin? Vodka? Yes to all of it. The lime simple syrup and cucumber juice can be made ahead of time so you can put this together in a few minutes just before serving.
Serves 2.
INGREDIENTS
The lime simple syrup:
- 2 teaspoons lime zest
- ⅓ cup sugar
- 1 cup water
The cucumber juice and drink:
- 2 peeled 8-ounce medium cucumbers
- Ice
- 1 ½ tablespoons lime juice
- 1 lime cut into wedges, optional
- Optional: seltzer, rum, gin or vodka
INSTRUCTIONS
- Make the simple syrup: In a medium saucepan mix the lime zest, sugar and water and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 5 minutes. The syrup should have thickened, the sugar fully dissolved and the lime taste should be evident. Remove from the stove and place in a glass jar to cool. You should have 1 cup syrup. Refrigerate for up to a week.
- Using a wide vegetable peeler, peel the cucumber lengthwise pressing into the cucumber to get 4 very thin long strips of cucumber. Set aside.
- Chop the remaining cucumber and place in a blender or food processor. Pulse until the cucumber is fully pureed and beginning to juice. Place the cucumber puree into a fine sieve set over a bowl and let the cucumber drip through. You’ll need to use a soft spatula to press the cucumber into the sieve to release all the juice. You should have about ½ cup.
- To put together the drink: Add ice cubes to two tall 8-ounce clear glasses. Add a tablespoon or two to taste of the lime syrup. Add half the cucumber juice to each glass. Add half the lime juice to each glass. Stir. Add two thin cucumber strips to each cup. Add lime wedges, if desired, and top off with any of the optional ingredients.
Quick cucumber refrigerator pickles with garlic and chili
Crisp, crunchy and full of fresh flavor. That’s what I want from a pickle. But you might expect it would take weeks to create and lots of effort and you would be wrong.
Thin slices of cucumber in a quick salt and vinegar brine are flavored with dill, chili pepper and garlic. It literally happens overnight, but will keep in the fridge for close to 2 ½ weeks.
You can flavor this pickle with any seasoning you like: cumin seeds, pickling spices, mustard seeds, etc.
Serve on or with sandwiches, cheese boards, grilled foods, or some cool fresh snacking.
Makes 2 quart jars, but can easily be doubled if you have an excess of cucumbers.
INGREDIENTS
- 2 large cucumbers or 3 medium, 1 pound, thinly sliced (I don’t peel them, but you can), use a pickling cucumber like Kirby
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill and dill heads if you have them (the flower-like top of the dill plant)
- 1 large clove garlic, cut in half, peeled or unpeeled
- 2 small dried chili peppers, or 1 small fresh chili pepper, cut into thin rings with or without the seeds (with seeds, you’ll get a spicy pickle)
- 2 ½ teaspoons Kosher or canning salt
- 1 ½ cups apple cider or white vinegar
INSTRUCTIONS
- Clean 2 quart-sized jars. Divide half the cucumber slices into the jars and add half the dill, chili and garlic to each jar. Top with the remaining cucumber slices, pushing down slightly.
- Add 1 ¼ teaspoons salt to each jar and the top with ¾ cup vinegar in each jar. Seal and shake the jar.
- Refrigerate overnight and shake the jar once or twice after an hour or so.
Cucumber and labneh open-faced sandwich on rye
This is a lesson in simplicity. A light, refreshing open-faced sandwich reminiscent of a summer day in Scandinavia. Dark rye, black or a Danish whole-grain rye is thinly sliced and topped with labneh (store bought or homemade – see below), topped with paper thin slices of cucumber and topped with chopped fresh dill, lemon zest, salt and pepper.
On a hot summer day or night, it’s a great appetizer or light main course served with a summer salad and an ice-cold glass of rosé.
Make one or make 10.
INGREDIENTS
For each sandwich:
- 1 thin slice rye, dark or Danish whole-grain rye bread
- 1 tablespoon labneh or Greek yogurt
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon chopped dill or chives
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 9 thin slices cucumber, peeled from small cucumber
- ¼ to ½ teaspoon grated lemon or Meyer lemon zest
Garnish:
- 1 to 2 teaspoons chopped fresh dill or chives or tarragon
INSTRUCTIONS
- To assemble the sandwich: Very lightly toast the bread.
- Place the labneh in a bowl and stir in the oil, herbs, salt and pepper. Spread the bread with the labneh. Layer the cucumbers down the bread in 3 rows, 3 slices in each row. (If you have a larger rye, you may need 4 rows.)
- Season with salt and pepper and top with the lemon zest. Sprinkle on the dill. Repeat. You’ll want another one. Makes 1 open-faced sandwich.
- Making labneh: Have a large bowl ready. Place a few sheets of cheesecloth in a fine sieve set over the bowl. Add 1 cup whole-milk good-quality plain yogurt. Drape the sides of the cheesecloth over the yogurt to cover. Let drain for about 12 to 24 hours on the counter or in the refrigerator.
- Stir the strained yogurt (now labneh) with 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1 to 2 tablespoons chopped herbs, like chives, thyme, tarragon, dill etc. Can be used in sandwiches.
Other cucumber recipes
Hot or cold, recipes for soups that celebrate the season
- Cold cucumber soup with mint, dill And lemon
An ocean of culinary possibilities using fresh seaweed harvested in the U.S.
- Cucumber-miso-kelp dip
This article was originally published on WBUR.org.
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