Pretty much the same way you do yours.

Other times, though, I'll simply drizzle them with a little olive oil and balsamic vinegar and crumble some feta cheese over them.

We make ours similar too. I slice the cucumbers very thin with a mandolin and mix in some chop green onions. The dressing is a combination of sour cream, vinegar, salt & pepper, chopped fresh dill and a little sugar to sweeten.

Cucumber, onions, oil, vinegar s&p and lots of fresh basil!

GEt this at local restaurant a lot: cucumber, onion slices, chopped tomatoes, green peppers and fresh dill!

Very thinly sliced cucumbers and onions with a dressing of cider vinegar, sugar, s & p and chopped fresh dill.

I also like to mix thinly sliced onions, tomatoes, green pepper, cucumbers and chopped basil with a dressing of olive oil, wine vinegar, granulated garlic, and s & p.

We like these with Thai dishes.

Becky

* Exported from MasterCook *

SWEET & SOUR CUCUMBER RELISH (TAENG KWA BRIO

Recipe By :
Serving Size : 0 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories :

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
2 large Cucumbers -- peeled, halved lengthwise and sliced thinly
1 small Red onion -- peeled, halved and sliced thinly
1/2 teaspoon Dried red chili flakes (or more, to taste)
4 tablespoons Granulated sugar
1/2 cup Water
5 tablespoons rice vinegar
1/2 teaspoon Salt
chopped cilantro -- to taste

Toss the cucumber, onion and chili flakes together in
a bowl. In a small saucepan, over low heat, dissolve
the sugar in the water. Remove from heat and stir in
the vinegar and salt. Pour this mixture over the
veggies. Stir and refrigerate until served.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Dill! Now why didn't I think of that....we have lots. The basil I would NEVER have thought of but have plenty of that and I love basil. The Thai dish sounds good, too.

I chop cucumbers, onions, tomatoes and hot green pepper with vinegar, S & P just a bit of sugar and we eat that alongside or spooned on top of fresh green beans. An elderly woman in our church used to bring it to our covered dish suppers and she called it simply "hot stuff" and we do as well. Sure is good.

Thanks,
jude

Rice vinegar, sesame oil, pinch of sugar (or more) and kosher salt.

Ruthanna's simple method appeals to me. It's just a tad fancier than mine. I salt the cucumber slices for a while (note the precision of my recipe), rinse them and marinate in a diluted vinegar.

Jim

Sometimes I use lemon juice instead of vinegar.

I like a tomato and cucumber salad - I'm not sure what the best recipe is for that.

Gingered cucumbers are really good -
rice vinegar or some other mild vinegar, a little soy sauce, grated fresh ginger, apple juice concentrate to sweeten it (or some sugar), cucumber, onions. Green onions are really nice in it. You can also put in some shredded carrot for color.

A Hispanic friend of mine taught me to eat chunks of ice cold cucumber with lemon juice and cayenne...very refreshing on a hot day. I also like them drizzled with a little soy sauce and lemon.

I like a cucumber raita to go with spicy curries and dals. Very thinly sliced cucumber, sprinkled with a fair amount of salt and let to drain. Then squeeze the water out, mix them with yogurt, a good amount of fresh chopped mint or cilantro. Sometimes I'll add garlic or onion. It helps cool the tongue while eating fiery Indian dishes.

Sometimes I make a Japanese sweet "pickle" with them. Cut cukes into chunks and put in a jar. Cover with a mixture of rice wine vinegar, sugar and salt to taste. Add a few dried red chilis and let sit in the fridge at least overnight for the flavor of the dressing to penetrate a bit.

I call this soaked cucumbers and it always gets raves. I can eat it by the gallon. Slice cukes thin and salt lightly. After a half hour or so, drain off liquid and add a small amount of vinegar--it doesn't have to cover, just stir it periodically.

I like this one too, where the vegetables are cubed instead of sliced.

TURKISH SHEPHERD'S SALAD
3 large tomatoes
2 medium size cucumbers
2 medium size Green Peppers
1 large red onion
1/2 bunch Parsley
7- 8 sprigs fresh mint
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 and 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon salt (or less to taste)
Sumac powder *

(This is not a marinated-type salad and is best when all the ingredients are chopped and mixed close to serving time.)

Wash the vegetables; peel and halve cucumbers, removing seeds; remove stems and seeds of the green peppers, and remove the surplus parts of onion, parsley and the mint. Chop the onions, green peppers, tomatoes and cucumbers into cubes about 1 cm. In size (between 1/4 and 1/2 inch.). Finely chop the mint and parsley. Add lemon juice and salt to olive oil, whisk well and pour over the salad immediately before serving. Sprinkle lightly with sumac powder. *Note: if you donÂt have sumac powder, increase the lemon juice to 2 Tbs.

I slice onions and cucumbers, add a sprinkle of sugar, a grind or 2 of pepper a drizzle of
evoo and a little cider vinegar and crumble blue cheese over all. Refrigerate for about 30 minutes, stir ( it all gets sort of a creamy sauce) and serve.
Linda C....who thinks blue cheese goes with everything but carrots and chocolate.

Cucumber Stuffed Tomatoes!

6 medium tomatoes
2 medium cucumbers, chopped
1/3 cup mayonnaise
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
salt to taste

Remove stem end from tomatoes. Cut thin slice from bottom of each to prevent tipping. Remove pulp from tomatoes, drain and reserve. Place tomatoes stem end down on paper towels. Refrigerate at least 2 hours. Finely chop tomato pulp; drain. Stir in cucumber, mayonnaise, garlic, and salt. Fill tomatoes with cucumber mixture.

Unless I had tasted this soup at La Bonne SoupeÂs NYC bistro, I would have never even tried a recipe with a quart of sour cream! But itÂs always a hit for a summer luncheon or tea. Sometimes I add a little chopped fresh dill and garnish with a sprig of dill instead of the basil.

COLD CORAL SOUP

3 large cucumbers
1 small onion, sliced
1 cup tomato juice
1 Tbs. tomato paste
1 cup chicken broth
1 quart sour cream
1/4 cup dry fino sherry
12 small fresh basil leaves for garnish

Peel the cucumbers and slice in half lengthwise. Spoon out and discard the seeds. Cut into chunks and place the cucumbers in a blender or food processor. Add the onion, tomato juice, and tomato paste, and process until pureed.

Pour the mixture into a large bowl, add the broth, then whisk in the sour cream and sherry, beating until well incorporated. Cover and refrigerate for 3 to 4 hours.

Lade into chilled soup bowl and float 2 or 3 basil leaves in each. Makes 4 to 6 servings

I am so glad that so many of my cucumber plants came up this year. The only thing is that it will be weeks before I get a cuke out of the garden. Luckily they should be hitting the farmer's market before too long.

Is there any difference between raita and cucumber soup. I know cucumber soup as a Middle Eastern food and raita as Indian. I'm very fond of both.

A generic recipe for either, IMO, would be:

grated or finely chopped cucumber
plain yogurt
salt
vinegar or lemon juice
herbs or spices such as cumin, mint, garlic, cayenne according to your preference.

Cucumber and yogurt are in approximately equal proportions. Other ingredients are to taste. Serve chilled.

Jim

Jim, in my experience, raita is much thicker than cucumber soup.

I love cucumbers sliced thinly, seasoned with s&p, champagne or white wine vinegar, tarragon, and a pinch of sugar. Sometimes I add sour cream to the mix. I love tarragon with cucumbers.

Lori

A couple of thoughts:

I'm finding rice vinegar useful when I want a milder, less sharp taste.

Tsukemono (Japanese pickles) are a good use for cucumbers. I was inspired to start a tsukemono thread because that topic goes far beyond cucumbers. Tsukemono made from cucumbers is simple and quickly made, compared to other types of pickles.

Jim

Here is a link that might be useful: Tsukemono

cucumbers
sliced vidalia onions
Miracle Whip or Mayo (I like them both)
A touch of vinegar
A bit of sugar

This is my favorite way to have cucumbers

Sue

Cuke Salad Du Jour

8 oz. Cucumbers (peeled & diced)

Italian
1 tbs. Balsamic vinegar
1 tsp. Olive Oil
1 tsp. Fresh basil, minced
Salt

Asian
1 tbs. rice wine vinegar
½ tsp. Sesame oil
½ tsp. fresh ginger, grated
1 tsp. Lite soy sauce

Indian
1 tbs. plain yogurt
1 tbs. fresh mint, minced
½ tsp. sugar
¼ tsp. curry powder
Salt

Southwest
1 tbs. lime juice
1 tsp. fresh cilantro minced
¼ tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. V-8 or any tomato juice
Dash of minced garlic

Each makes 1 serving.

Cucumber Yogurt Salad Recipe

Ingredients
2 cucumbers, peeled, quartered lengthwise, then sliced
Plain yogurt, about 1 cup
1 teaspoon dried dill, or a couple of teaspoons of fresh dill
Sprinkling of salt and pepper

Method
First taste the cucumbers to make sure that they are not bitter. Depending on the variety of cucumber you are using, and many other factors, you may find a cucumber that is distinctly bitter in taste. If this happens, soak the cucumber slices in salted water for half an hour, or longer, until the bitterness is reduced, then rinse and drain before using.

To make the salad, simply gently mix together the ingredients. Salt and pepper to taste.

Serves 4.

Clare

Moosemac, I love all those choices.

Thanks everyone, I may have enough variations to last the season, a different one each time I "fix" them, however, you can't have too many to refer to.