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Has anyone ever cooked a cucumber?

post #1 of 10
8/20/08 at 12:03am
Thread Starter 
I tried it on the grill, didn't work out. Is there any application to cucumbers in cooking? I know fried pickles are good, but they're not fresh cucumbers.

I mean COOKED, with heat. Not as a garnish.

Thanks for any info,

Slim
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post #2 of 10
8/20/08 at 1:24am
Google is your friend ...

cooked cucumber - Google Search

scb
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post #3 of 10
8/20/08 at 7:08am
I love cooked cukes. I think its called garniture Doria in the french cannon. Turned sections of cucumber sautéed in clarified butter (or even with a hit of brown butter). The taste is surprising, very intense and peppery. Not the sort of thing to serve with gentle white fish.

--Al
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post #4 of 10
8/20/08 at 8:12am
In college I had a Malaysian roomate of Chinese heritage. She taught me to make this simple cucumber dish:

Peel the cucumbers and cut them lengthwise. Scrape out the seeds with a spoon.

Slice them into crescent-shaped slices about 1/8" thick.

In vegetable oil, saute minced garlic and fresh ginger briefly. Add the cucumber slices and stir fry them for a minute or two. Add toasted sesame seeds, stir, and cover the pan. Turn off the heat and allow the cucumbers to sit for a couple of minutes.

Season lightly with light soy sauce, stir, and transfer to a serving dish. Drizzle a bit of toasted sesame oil over the cucumber. Garnish with toasted sesame seeds.

This is excellent hot or leftover, cold. I think it works best with regular cucumbers rather than the English (seedless) ones, and it's a great way to use up those jumbo cucumbers in your garden.
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post #5 of 10
8/20/08 at 11:24am
We've made this for years. Wish I could remember where I got it. At a guess I'd say it was central European.

Stewed Cucumers

3 cukes, sliced thick
6 slices bacon
3 tbls flour
Salt & pepper to taste
2 onions, sliced thin
1 stick butter
1 tbls dry mustard
Water

Salt cukes heavily, place in a collander, let drain at least 1/2 hour.

Cook bacon until crisp, reserving grease.

Rinse cukes. Pat dry. Fry cukes and onion in bacon fat (adding more if necessary) until browned. Drain on paper towels. Pour fat from pan.

Return cuke mixture to pan. Add 4-6 tablespoons water, the mustard, butter, and flour. Let stew until tender.

This makes a nice side dish, albeit on the bland side. To kick it up. stir in a little curry powder or garam masala.
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post #6 of 10
8/20/08 at 12:47pm
Great suggestions. I've never tried cooking one (and hadn't seen any recipes on how to). I guess I'll have to try it now.
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post #7 of 10
8/20/08 at 9:00pm
Hmmm. Cucumbers are basically thin skinned summer squash, though certainly different than zucchini. I may have to try a stir-fry sesame cucumber salad for next week's dinner hike. A bit of lemongrass might be a nice addition.

mjb.
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post #8 of 10
8/20/08 at 11:38pm
I ran this as a special. I figured it would be a little too out there for people, but I thought it was good, so I ran it for myself. Actually sold quite a few, and not all to vegetarians, although the vegetarians were glad to see something offered other than the run of the mill stir fry. Got good feedback from the guests that did try it.

Grilled Stuffed Cucumber
a whole Cucumber, peeled and seeds removed, stuffed with sprouted Mung, Adzuki, Lentil, and Garbanzo Beans; brushed with Chile Oil, grilled, sliced and served on a pool of Sesame Spinach Sauce and sprinkled with Aji Nori Furikake
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post #9 of 10
8/21/08 at 2:33am
I love cucumbers - but because they are cold and fresh - these recipes sounds interesting but don´t think i could bring myself to cook one myself!!
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post #10 of 10
8/21/08 at 4:26am
Teamfat,

If you're going to make comparisons, in terms of texture, water content, and sibling relationships, cukes are more like melons than summer squash.

Treat them like a zucchini and you'll likely be disappointed. Treat them like a muskmelon and you might be on to something.
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