Chris the Fish wrote:
The best recipe for cucumbers.
Take a large, firm, green cucumber.
With a potato peeler or paring knife remove a strip of the skin lengthwise.
Turn the cucumber and, leaving a strip of skin, remove another strip.
Continue the process until a "striped" effect is achieved.
Remove the ends.
Slice the cucumber very thinly.
Put the slices in a high quality vinaigrette, cover with clingfilm and refrigerate.
Go out for a quality steak, chips and peas (onion rings are optional as are buttered mushrooms).
Follow with a choice of Chocolate fudge cake, Strawberry cheesecake, Kiwi fruit pavlova or tiramisu (choosing more than two may be considered greedy).
Finish the wine and any liqueurs, then get a taxi home.
Open the fridge, remove the clingfilm and deposit the contents in the waste disposal unit if you are posh and the in the toilet for the majority.
Wash up the bowl.
Believe me that is the best way to deal with cucumber!
Oh no it isn't!!
This IS the best way to deal with cucumbers!!
Polish Peasant Cucumber Salad; Mizeria
The Polish name for cucumbers in sour cream is "mizeria" literally meaning "misery”, referring to the dish being conceived by peasants, who were nicknamed "the miserable ones" by the have-gots!
This delightful, cooling salad is anything but "misery”. It's a great accompaniment to pork, ham, chicken, fish, just about anything, but especially to peppered and slightly spicy meats and dishes. Choose thin cucumbers with small seeds or the seedless variety. Dress this just before serving so the dish doesn't become watery.
Note: Legend has it this dish was a favorite of Queen Bona Sforza, an Italian princess who married Polish King Sigismund I in the 16th century. Homesick for her native Italy where cucumbers were common, every time she ate it, it made her cry. Hence the Polish word for "misery”, derived from the Latin “mizeria”, which is also the name for this delicious dish of cucumber salad.
Ingredients
• 2 large cucumber
• 2 – 3 teaspoons of salt
• ½ cup of sour cream
• Juice of half a fresh lemon
• ½ teaspoon sugar
• 2 tablespoons of finely chopped fresh dill (essential ingredient; use dry dill if you can’t get fresh)
• Black pepper - to taste
Method
1. Peel the cucumbers.
2. Run a channel knife or fork down the length of the cucumbers to produce a pretty edge (optional).
3. Slice the cucumbers very thinly; wafer thin, using a culinary mandolin if you have one.
4. Put a colander over a large vessel to catch excess water from the cucumbers and place the sliced cucumber in the colander in layers as they are cut and sprinkle with the salt as you go. This process removes excess water from the sliced cucumbers.
5. Set aside and leave to stand for 20-30 minutes.
6. After 20-30 minutes, thoroughly rinse the cucumbers in the colander to remove excess salt and squeeze dry by hand.
7. In a large bowl, mix the cucumbers together with the rest of the ingredients and adjust the seasoning.
8. Refrigerate until cool, sprinkle with some additional dill and serve well chilled.
Variations
• Substitute yogurt for some or all of the sour cream if you like.
Brummie Cabbie says, “This is my all-time favourite salad. Try this recipe; you’ll be amazed how good it is and what a great accompaniment it is to many dishes!”
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