CUCUMBERS: NOT JUST FOR SALADS

I know it's not time to plant cucumbers but I am always dreaming.  My dreams are fired by the seed catalogs.  This year we did not order fresh cucumber seeds.  Hopefully the ones we have will grow.  Even if they grow we have to plan a course of action against the "bugs".  Spotted cucumber beetles and Japanese beetles, and then there are the funguses and the powdery mildew.  Till then though I can plan what I am going to be doing with cucumbers picked fresh off the vine.  Yes, I am an optimist.

This winter I had a cucumber left over and it was a little over the hill and I wanted it out of the fridge.  I was cooking supper and I wondered how it would cook.  I sauteed a huge onion in a tablespoon of butter (it seems most recipes I do start with diced and sauteed onions.)  While they were cooking I peeled the cucumber and split it down the middle, scraped out the seeds.  I proceeded to cut the cucumber into 1/2 inch dice.  I put the diced cucumber in with the onions.  Kept the lid off the pan and increased the heat a little.  I cooked the cucumbers till they were fork tender.   At this point I put 2 rounded Tablespoons of flour in it and stirred  it through.  

The reason I put in the flour was to thicken the cup of chicken stock I was adding (have extra stock ready in case it is too thick).  I have a totally thawed 16 ounce pkg of frozen peas ready.  Before you add extra stock if it is too thick,  pour the package of thawed peas in with any liquid which melted off them.  Stir the peas through.  If your sauce is still to thick add some more Stock.

Adjust your seasonings and serve.  Any left overs re-warm well. 

You have just made a creamed dish with out adding too many fat calories because you only used a Tablespoon of butter for several servings.  The sauce stuck to the veggies instead of laying in the bottom of the bowl when you served yourself.  For us the dish was extremely enjoyable. 

What does a cooked cucmber taste like.  Start with the texture.  The texture is not like squash.  It didn't fall apart or get mushy when cooked.  It did not take on the flavor of the sauce or the other veggies.  It was a sweet taste like peas are sweet, but you knew you were eating a cucumber.  The cucumber takes on a translucent look when it is cooked.

A recipe from my garden to you.  I can't wait to try cucmbers 100's of ways.

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