Brad Nelson
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עַבְדְּךָ֔ אֶת־ הַתְּשׁוּעָ֥ה הַגְּדֹלָ֖ה הַזֹּ֑את
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Post by Brad Nelson on Aug 10, 2020 8:56:36 GMT -8
I harvested a pretty healthy 12.6 ounce 8.25” cucumber the other day. It’s really a beauty, something any man would be proud of. It was nestled in the shade which might account for its size. We’ve been having some warm weather lately and I think there is such things as too warm.  CucumberCam |
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Post by kungfuzu on Aug 10, 2020 9:14:31 GMT -8
Looks like it would make a great salad. I love German cucumber salad.
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Brad Nelson
Administrator
עַבְדְּךָ֔ אֶת־ הַתְּשׁוּעָ֥ה הַגְּדֹלָ֖ה הַזֹּ֑את
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Post by Brad Nelson on Aug 10, 2020 9:19:31 GMT -8
That looks fantastic, Mrs. Cu. And I’m going to make a sexist assumption and assume that Mrs. Cu, not Mr. Cu, makes the cucumber salads.
Those cucumbers appear to be cut very thin which really makes for a good presentation. Perhaps you can pry the recipe out of Mrs. Cu and I’ll give it a try.
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Post by kungfuzu on Aug 10, 2020 9:28:14 GMT -8
You would be correct in your assumption, although I do often peel and slice the little critters.
There are two basic types of this cucumber salad. Each has a different dressing base. I got that photo from the internet page below which includes both recipes.
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Post by timothylane on Aug 10, 2020 9:32:19 GMT -8
In Greece, we often had a tomato and cucumber salad consisting of a row of tomato slices and a row of cucumber slices, with vinegar and (olive) oil available for salad dressing.
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Post by kungfuzu on Aug 10, 2020 9:39:37 GMT -8
Oddly enough, the first Greek Salad I ever had was in Goettingen, Germany in the summer of 1973. It had the ingredients you mentioned, but also had, diced red onions, black olives and feta cheese. There was also some chopped dill, as I recall. I had never eaten anything like it before. I have had many since. Clearly, it made a big impression on me.
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Brad Nelson
Administrator
עַבְדְּךָ֔ אֶת־ הַתְּשׁוּעָ֥ה הַגְּדֹלָ֖ה הַזֹּ֑את
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Post by Brad Nelson on Aug 10, 2020 10:39:57 GMT -8
I do believe that the pealing of the cucumber could be considered an integral part of preparation, and thus therefore leans toward the “chef” side of the equation…or co-chef. It looks as if peeling the cucumbers is an option, which is a convenience. As soon as my fresh dill comes online (which could be fairly soon), I’ll give this recipe a try. Garlic or onions is listed as an option. I think I’ll stick with the cucumber-only and see how that is. I’ll try the sour cream version first. One would suppose a light sprinkling of Parmesan cheese would work well with this. I don’t have a mandolin slicer so I would have to try my hand at slicing thin with a knife. Besides, I’m can’t see how it would be any easier slicing with the strings. |
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Brad Nelson
Administrator
עַבְדְּךָ֔ אֶת־ הַתְּשׁוּעָ֥ה הַגְּדֹלָ֖ה הַזֹּ֑את
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Post by Brad Nelson on Aug 10, 2020 10:57:02 GMT -8
The Greek cucumber salad sounds great. Being Greek, I'll try to find the appropriate cucumber. Maybe some fish would go good with this? I don't know if it's Greek, but I wouldn't be surprised:
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Post by timothylane on Aug 10, 2020 11:02:13 GMT -8
I've heard of a sea cucumber (an echinoderm, I believe), but a penis fish? I assume those Wokeists really don't like that name.
I'm not sure about slicing with mandolin strings, though Manly Wade Wellman's character Silver John the Balladeer might be able to do it with his silver-stringed guitar (which he found handy when he banged it into the face of an evil character).
The tomato and cucumber salad is what I thought of as a Greek salad for decades. But we certainly knew about using feta cheese on salads, or including olives. (Of course, we tended to use Kalamata olives. We can back from Greece with several large tin cans of Kalamata olives packed in oil. None of them went to waste, though they undoubtedly did go to waist.)
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Brad Nelson
Administrator
עַבְדְּךָ֔ אֶת־ הַתְּשׁוּעָ֥ה הַגְּדֹלָ֖ה הַזֹּ֑את
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Post by Brad Nelson on Aug 10, 2020 11:15:57 GMT -8
A lot of seafood is just downright weird looking. I'd never heard of the penis fish. Sea cucumbers? Yeah, I've seen lots of those firsthand. I was aware that you could eat them. I was just never sure why anyone would want to.
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Post by kungfuzu on Aug 10, 2020 11:35:26 GMT -8
I cannot imagine garlic, but a little bit of onion would work.
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Post by kungfuzu on Aug 10, 2020 11:37:49 GMT -8
Sea cucumber is considered a delicacy in Chinese cuisine. I have never liked it. I find it something like chewing on a rubber eraser.
Many of the Greek salads I have eaten have included whole Kalamata olives including the pits. That was something new to me as well.
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Post by timothylane on Aug 10, 2020 11:41:11 GMT -8
I'm sure sea cucumber is as tasty as bird's nest soup or shark fin soup.
Prior to coming to Greece, my familiarity with olives was the standard green (unripe) olives with pimento pepper in the middle. Whole ripe Kalamatas were new to me as well.
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Post by kungfuzu on Aug 10, 2020 11:43:45 GMT -8
Clearly, you are not using a Greek Mandolin for slicing. One must use the proper tools to do the job right. Here is what you need.
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Post by kungfuzu on Aug 10, 2020 11:47:25 GMT -8
There you go again promoting the oppressive male patriarchy by using a testosterone loaded word. Shame on you.
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Brad Nelson
Administrator
עַבְדְּךָ֔ אֶת־ הַתְּשׁוּעָ֥ה הַגְּדֹלָ֖ה הַזֹּ֑את
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Post by Brad Nelson on Aug 10, 2020 12:00:17 GMT -8
You’re probably right, although I would opt for the Walla Walla sweet onions which are fairly mild and certainly not as harsh as a red onion. I didn’t know that “Walla Walla” meant “many waters.” Presumably “Walla” means “water.” And if you mean a lot of water you say “Walla Walla.” I think there’s an English equivalent to this: Boom Boom.  |
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Post by kungfuzu on Aug 10, 2020 12:01:14 GMT -8
Actually, shark's fin soup can be very good. Bird's nest soup is less delicious in my opinion, nothing special. The Chinese see it as some sort of semi-medicinal brew.
This is my favorite Chinese soup.
I cannot vouch for this particular recipe. In fact, I have this soup all around the world and it is hard to find it properly done outside of South East Asia or China. Most of the Hot and Sour soups I have had in the USA are not worth the name.
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Post by kungfuzu on Aug 10, 2020 12:05:26 GMT -8
I agree with you on the Walla Walla onions. I would never use red onions in the sour cream based cucumber salad as it would disturb the color of the salad. The little red specks would just be out of place.
I have taken to washing onions which are too acidic. I peel them, slice or dice them and then run cold water over them.
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Post by timothylane on Aug 10, 2020 12:14:49 GMT -8
I would prefer sweet onions, too, but I don't know specific types other than Vidalia onions (and I've only heard of those).
I looked up penis fish in wikipedia, and was somewhat surprised to find them listed. They're annelid worms, not fish, and basically tunnel into the seabed to feed from debris left behind by water they pull through their tubes. In the Far East they are in fact eaten, as well as used as bait (no doubt for female fish, and perhaps for feminists who'd be pleased to see what looks like an amputated penis).
They're also called spoonworms. Whether this is because they're eaten with spoons, or made whoever named them think of spooning, or for some other reason, I have no idea.
The Korean restaurant we used to go to has hot and sour soup as well as won ton soup, but I don't think I ever tried either one. They also had egg drop soup, which many of us always got when we visited.
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Post by kungfuzu on Aug 10, 2020 12:42:23 GMT -8
Although we do buy Vidalia onions, my wife generally buys Texas 1015s. They are mild and sweet.
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