Older Bolder Life

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cucumbers

the Older Bolder Life Friday Feast: Jalapeño Garlic Cucumber Salad v. Quick Pickle

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We’ve long been fans of what most folks call quick pickles around our camp. Quick pickles are a great way to add a burst of flavor to meals or snack time, and you can make great quick pickles out of just about any vegetable you favor.

Some might argue that a quick pickle is just as much a salad as a pickle (count me among those who ponder that now and again); call it what you want, these types of recipes are quick to prepare, simple enough for those with the most basic kitchen skills to cobble together, and score very highly on the taste to effort scale.

By the way, some of our favorite quick pickle recipes I’ve shared her on OBL before: Quick Pickled Beets and Onions, Tasty Quick Dills, Quick Pickled Daikon Radishes, and Quick Turmeric Zucchini Dills.

Today’s recipe, this Jalapeño Garlic Cucumber Salad v. Quick Pickle, is one we’ve been playing with a bit after talking about the recipe with Chef Libby after Thanksgiving. Serve it within 30 minutes of preparation and it’s more like a salad; let it rest in the fridge for an hour or two ahead and give the vinegar time to work its magic – and you’re more in the quick pickle zone.

We like this with two cloves of grated garlic, though some might find that level of garlic a bit strong. And I prefer it with a bit more heat (occasionally adding a teaspoon or two of crushed red pepper flakes or a sliced serrano) though my wife thinks the recipe as written below is right on the money.

This one is a nifty addition to any meal during the long, cold January to come, and if you can’t find Persian cucumbers (as I haven’t been able to in my neighborhood of late) hothouse English cucs work just as well.

6 Persian or 2 English cucumbers, see note above, sliced on diagonal
1 tsp (scant) kosher salt

1 large jalapeño chile, thinly sliced
1-2 garlic cloves, grated
3/4 cup rice vinegar (unseasoned)
1 tbsp good honey
1 tbsp avocado oil

Combined the prepped cucumbers and salt in a medium bowl, stirring to coat the cucumber slices with salt. Let sit at room temp for 15-20 minutes, stirring twice more, until the cucumbers release some liquid.

While the cucs are resting, whisk the rice vinegar, oil, honey, garlic, and sliced pepper in a medium bowl.

Now squeeze as much liquid as possible from the cucumbers, add to the pepper vinegar and stir to coat well. Taste for salt and adjust as needed, these need to marinate at least 30 minutes before serving.

Enjoy.

the Older Bolder Life Salad Monday: Naomi B’s Greek Salad

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This salad has been part of our family food lexicon for the better part of three decades now, and is still one of our all time favorites in the rotation.

We first had this salad served to us by friends John and Naomi one summer evening, sitting out on their stone patio with a stream running not 15 feet away, with lamb kabobs roasting on the grill nearby. It was a part of one of those magical meals you remember for a long, long time, and we’ve often recreated it at home.

John was a practice partner, mentor, and fly fishing and woodworking compadre for many years; he and I launched the first practice of its kind in Utah back in the day, and spent many an hour grinding it out and developing our systems. John was a true gentleman; quick to laugh, impressively bright, and a great communicator in a relaxed, folksy sort of way.

Naomi and John lived up a little side canyon off the main Ogden Canyon along the Wasatch Front, on a little level bench with a year-round creek running through it; he had an amazing woodworking shop in the old barn on the property.

This salad is great anytime of the year, though when the freshest produce graces your favorite farmers market – or better yet your own garden – it’s outrageously good. By the way, we almost always add more dill and olives, and using a fresh slab of feta (we used a Bulgarian sheep’s milk feta this week) makes it even better.

And as always, you can fiddle and adjust the recipe to suit your (family’s) palate as you wish.

4-5 medium-sized firm-ripe tomatoes, cut into wedges, OR
2 big handfuls of grape tomatoes, various colors
3-5 garden cucumbers, peeled, cut into 1/4-inch slices
2 green bell peppers, trimmed, cut into 1/4-inch slices
2 red bell peppers, trimmed, cut into 1/4-inch slices
6-8 green onions with tops, chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
30-40 good Kalamata olives
6 anchovy fillets, drained, rinsed, smashed or chopped
1/2 lb (or more) good feta cheese, crumbled small

The dressing
1/2 cup avocado or EV olive oil
5-6 tbsp red wine vinegar
1/2 cup fresh dill, snipped (at least this much, likely more)
1-2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 tsp fresh oregano
1/2 tsp good salt (or more)
1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper (or more)

This one couldn’t be easier. Prepare and combine the salad ingredients in a large bowl, then toss to combine. Add the crumbled feta last, then toss gently once again.

In a small canning jar (or your favorite shaker) combine the dressing ingredients and shake well until emulsified. Pour over the salad, toss to evenly coat, and taste – you may want more dill or need to adjust the seasonings.

Best served pretty much immediately, though this salad is amazing for 24 hours or more.

Enjoy.

the Older Bolder Life Salad Wednesday 18 July: Quick Chinese Cucumber Salad

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Here’s another quick and easy salad featuring one of the stars of summer – fresh cucumbers – and some of our clan’s favorite flavors from the orient.

The black rice vinegar provides a great counterpoint to the spice of the chili oil and the earthy nuttiness of the toasted sesame oil, and the bundle of flavors play incredibly well with the cucumbers (and the herbal cilantro).

We enjoy it more with a bit more spice, hence the recommendation for the pinch of red pepper flakes or a seeded and chopped serrano (or your favorite pepper), try it with and without to see which suits you better.

6 kirby or Persian cucumbers, or 2 big English cucumbers
2 tbsp Chinkiang (Chinese black rice) vinegar
2-3 tsp good, spicy chili oil
2 tsp toasted sesame oil
1/2 tsp good salt, more to taste
2 tsp toasted sesame seeds
4 tbsp cilantro leaves
4 tbsp roasted unsalted peanuts, chopped

Optional: 1 tsp turbinado sugar, pinch of red pepper flakes or a fresh pepper, chopped

In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, chili oil, sesame oil, salt, and red pepper flakes/sugar if using, set aside once the salt and sugar have dissolved.

Cut the cucumbers in half lengthwise, seed if desired (certainly the English cucs if using), the lay flat on a your cutting board and either whack with a rolling pin or press down on them with the blade of a large chef’s knife to crack the cucumbers in several places. Now cut the cucs (crosswise) into approximately 1/2-inch slices (like a little half-moon).

Add the cucumbers (and fresh peppers if using) to the dressing mix, toss gently, and serve, topping each serving with a bit of the toasted sesame seeds, cilantro, and peanuts.

Cheers.

the Older Bolder Life Salad Sunday 8 July: Smashed Cucumber Salad

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Summer brings to mind a host of things, but say the word summer around our camp and before too long we’ll be talking about grilling various proteins and lining up our favorite salads and fresh vegetable sides to accompany them.

A couple of years ago I’d picked up my wife from a long day at her work and dropped into one of our favorite eateries in the DFW metro – Smoke – alas unfortunately now closed; it was there that we first tasted this unique salad.

They featured (back in the day) a fusion of Tex-Mex and old school, low and slow barbeque, and offered up an astounding array of sides, one of which was this Smashed Cucumber Salad.

We’ve tweaked it around the edges a bit, but keep coming back to this version of the recipe; simple, minimal prep, and very tasty make it a winner any time of year.

1 pound English (or Persian) cucumbers
3-4 green onions (scallions), sliced into 1-inch pieces
1 serrano pepper, stemmed, seeded, sliced into thin rounds (optional)
1 tsp good salt
3 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tbsp EVOO or avocado oil
1 tsp toasted black sesame seeds
1-2 tbsp chile oil (optional)

Here’s the fun part (after washing and trimming the cucumbers) – grab your rolling pin and (gently) whack the cucumbers until they begin to fracture and break apart. With your hands tear the cucumber pieces into bite-sized chunks, drop them into a colander and sprinkle with the salt.

After resting for 10-15 minutes, shake any remaining water out but don’t rinse the cucumbers. Now pour into a medium bowl and add the rice vinegar, EVOO/avocado oil, green onions, and the serrano pepper pieces (if using), then stir well to combine.

Taste for salt and adjust as needed, hold covered in the fridge for a short time if needed. When serving, drizzle with a good dollop of chile oil and go to it.

Enjoy.

the Older Bolder Life Vegetable Wednesday 27 June: Tasty Quick Dills

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With farmers market season now in full swing, if they’re not in already, it won’t be long before you’ll be seeing stunningly fresh pickling cucumbers showing up. Great in salads, cucumbers star in quick pickles too.

We’ve been putting up various fermented dills as part of our fall pickling routine for years now, and diehard pickle aficionados will argue that there’s nothing quite like an old-school, pucker-your-lips, sour dill pickle painstakingly fermented and processed. I even posted about these on our fly fishing blog last fall –

…While I wouldn’t argue that fact, after an early August conversation with our friend Chef Libby in Austin, during which (among other things) she extolled the virtues of quick pickles, we’ve been quick pickling all sorts of stuff of late.

These quick dills have surprised everybody we’ve shared them with, in that they’re packed with great dill flavor (get really fresh dill frond and seeds), perfectly acidic (the sour that makes you pucker) without being too much so, and crunchier than fermented dills (without using alum as a cheat too).

Personally I think they’re far better with a bit of heat from the addition of several good peppers (long and skinny chile de arbol peppers work particularly well), though they’re good without the extra punch…

A child’s-play-easy ten minutes of effort here will make you look like a genius this next week.

1 lb pickling not-too-fat pickling cucumbers, trimmed, sliced lengthwise into quarters
2 large garlic cloves, peeled
1/2 C fresh dill fronds and stems, washed (or a bit more)
1 C filtered water
1/2 C white vinegar
2 T pickling or kosher salt
1 tsp (generous) fresh dill seeds
1 tsp (generous) coriander seeds
Optional: Hot peppers of your choice, try Thai, serrano, a split jalapeno…

Gently heat the water, vinegar, and salt, stirring until the salt dissolves. Remove from the heat to cool.

Scrub, trim, and slice the cucumbers; then prep the garlic and peppers if using.

Assembly is a piece of cake – pack a quart jar with the dill fronds and stems, garlic, then the cucumbers and peppers.

Sprinkle the dill and coriander seeds into the jar, then pour the cooled liquid over to within 1/4 of the top. Cover, leave out at room temperature for 3-4 hours, then throw in the fridge.

They’re not quite ready by the next day, but try one anyway; they’re good by the second day, getting better for the next 7-10 days.

Enjoy.