Salad alternatives

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A little while back Suzeeeq mentioned she was bored with salads. While I was away for a few days ago the local paper where I was visiting had some interesting cucumber recipes that might fill in.

Use cucumbers instead of crackers: Peel a cucumber in alternating strips. Slice - not too thin - and sprinkle with salt. Let sit for 5 minutes of so, then rinse well, and let drain. Pat dry if necessary. Top with anything you’d put on a cracker like soft cheese.

Make cucumber “cups”: Peel a cucumber in alternating strips. Cut into 1/2 to 1 inch lengths. Scoop out the seeds (a melon baller works well) but don’t break through the “bottom” of the cup. Sprinkle with salt. Let sit for 5 minutes or so, then rinse well, and let drain upside down. Fill with tuna, chicken or seafood salad or with gazpacho. (I’m not so sure about the gazpacho - I have a feeling it would leak.)

The newspaper also had a recipe for cucumber soup but it was hot cucumber soup which doesn’t sound good to me at all. I know there are cold cucumber soups although I haven’t made any. There’s one that sounds good here and could be made with low-fat yogurt.

And speaking of yogurt, I love tzatziki.

My Norwegian grandmother used to make cucumber and onions. Peel cucumbers and slice paper thin. Slice onions paper thin also. Mix equal parts vinegar (distilled white or cider) and sugar, then mix that with enough water so you can completely cover the cucumbers and onions. Pour the liquid over the cucumbers and onions and let sit in the fridge for several hours or overnight. You eat the cucumbers and onions and leave the liquid behind. Then you can refill the liquid with more cucumbers and onions. I’ve found what looks pretty much like my grandmother’s recipe here. You may have to fiddle a little to get the amount of vinegar and sugar you want. This is ridiculously delicious and now that I’ve found a recipe I’m excited about making it myself.

Last but not least, gazpacho. I’ve made gallons of it this summer. It’s got salad type ingredients - tomatoes, peppers, onions, celery, cucumbers - but in a different form. I make mine with tomato juice and flavor it with garlic, wine vinegar, olive oil, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper. A friend makes hers with Spicy V-8 and throws in some cilantro.