"rachael simpson" wrote in message:

After planting 3 20ft rows of cucumbers this year, we've got cukes
coming off left and right! I've been getting 15-20 cukes a day for the
last 4 days. Anybody have a favorite recipe they want to share?

Thanks!
~Rae

This is recipe file compiled from rec.food.cooking:
*************************************

"Cucumber Salad" - 2nd Ave. Deli cook book - Pg 12. (needs to marinate over
night, so plan ahead)

2 1/2 straight, long, cucumbers.
4 paper thin slices cut from the center of a lage onion (separate into
rings, cut into thin strips).
1/2 cup white vinegar.
1/4 cup sugar.
2 Tbls finely chopped fresh dill.
1/2 tsp salt.
1/8 tsp white pepper.

Peel cukes by removing alternating strips. Slice cukes 1/16" thk. In a bowl
incorporate all other ingredients. In large bowl pour over cukes and toss
well. Cover and let marinate in fridge over night.
---
I took liberties by shortening the procedure but ingredients are transcribed
exact. There is nothing new about this recipe, I've been making this longer
than the 2nd Ave. Deli has existed (1954)... I learned this from my
grandmother who learned from her grandmother... it works better if all the
cuke skin is removed and the cukes are striated with the tines of a fork
before slicing... any kind of cukes will work so long as they're young,
before seeds develop. Serve well drained, topped with a big dollop of sour
cream.
----------------
Cucumber salad is a much better accompaniment to smoked fish than to typical
deli meats... I've no idea why it's sold at the 2nd Ave Deli, other than it
being a good profit maker. It goes very well with smoked whitefish and
smoked sable, goes naturally with lox and pickeled herring of all sorts.

This cucumber salad is typically served at kosher dairy restaurants, usually
as a complimentary condiment the same as meat delis serve free sour pickles.
At home it was the standard side for tuna/salmon salad.

When my garden has a glut of cukes I make a very similar concoction only I
make a small part of the vinegar with fresh squeezed lemon juice... the
diced cukes and beans lends itself better to eating with a spoon, so I can
shovel it in. Another favorite is to add diced beets... I call it Barb's
Bliss... superb with a sardine on buttered pumpernickle sandwich --- a five
pickle hat winner!
----------------
In defense of white pepper, I
might suggest that you try it freshly bought. I does lose its
flavor fairly quickly. I suppose you could also try grinding
your own.
-----------------
Grind your own! You'll know what/who's in it... preground spices are
guaranteed to contain ground mouse turds, cockroaches, and other assorted
nasties... in fact you should pick over your peppercorns carefully before
just dumping them into your pepper mill. White pepper is actually more
flavorful than black pepper but in a different way, white is more pungent.
White pepper is used exclusively in Chinese restaurant food, they don't use
black pepper at all. Black pepper in cucumber salad would look like dirt.
-------------------
Cucumber salad (Austrian serves 4)

Marinade:
2 tbl spoons wine vinegar
1 tbl spoon water
2 tbl spoons oil
1/2 tea spoon sugar
salt

2nd Part:
2 cucumbers, peeled and finely sliced
salt
1/2 a clove of garlic, pressed
powdered paprika

Mix cucumber slices with salt and garlic. Cover and let rest for 30 minutes.
Drain water.
Mix with marinade, sprinkle with powdered paprika and serve.
---------------
Cucumber salad with cream (serves 4)
2 cucumbers, peeled and finely sliced
salt
1/2 a clove of garlic, pressed
1/8 litre sour cream
white pepper
dill, finely chopped

Mix sour cream with pepper and dill. Mix cucumber slices with salt and
garlic. Cover and let rest for 30 minutes. Drain water. Add the sour cream
mix. Serve. Cheers,
--------------
i most often use rice vinegar with cukes. this is the one i make most
frequently:
Japanese cucumber salad (adapted from 'japanese cooking,' by peter and joan
martin)

1 cucumber
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1 tbl sugar
1 tbl soy sauce
1/4 tsp monosodium glutamate (msg)
* * * * *
Mix together all but cucumber. wash cucumber but do not peel. slice as
thinly as possible. on a plate, arrange the slices in layers, not
overlapping, and salt each layer lightly. let stand for 30 minutes.
squeeze cucumbers pretty hard to remove the accumulated moisture. place
cukes in bowl, pour dressing over and refrigerate. these taste better the
next day. i don't see why they wouldn't last at least a week.

the recipe as given included 1/2 white sesame seeds, but the didn't do much
for me. recipe can be doubled or (maybe) tripled. they're tasty little
suckers.

Well, I took Steve's recommendation and made the "Refrigerator Bread &
Butter Pickles" yesterday afternoon. Made some of Billy's "Candied
Pickles" today. They both look so good, I can't wait to see how they
turn out! Om, I took your recommendation and passed it on to a friend
and I will try that out as well, as soon as my store bought pickles have
all been ate.

Thanks to everyone for their recipes!

~Rae

In a large pot over medium high heat, combine vinegar, salt, alum pickling spices. Boil and remove from heat. In large non-reactive container, add the cucumber and complete coverage pickling brine. Push the total solution of cucumber.