This week on Spilled Milk, we’re celebrating cucumbers the same way that we celebrate everything: by cooking them. Cooked cucumber! Who knew? Also, what’s up with recipes that call for salting cucumbers to make them crispier? Seriously, what’s up with that? Recipe: Spicy cucumber salad. www.spilledmilkpodcast.com
October 7, 2010
I swear these episodes keep getting shorter and shorter. Seriously, what’s up with that? It makes me sad.
There’s only so much to say about cucumbers?
It’s not deliberate; we’re just trying to edit down to the best stuff. The next ep will be over 15 minutes, I think. Glad you want to hear more of us!
I appreciate your attention to the hated cucumber. I have a couple in my fridge, thanks to my CSA box, and just looking at them makes me burp.
Although I am a simple girl and don’t have once-banned items like Sichuan anything, I am inspired. And smart! Next time my know-it-all step-mother brags about her vegetable knowledge (yes, it is a frequent topic of convo with her), I plan to shut her up with my newly-gained salt/water facts.
I love your show. Thank you both for doing it.
Since most of us grew up with the American cucumber, I’ve been generally unimpressed with them until this last summer, when I made a trip to Bulgaria. Not only do they have different types (like the Persian and Armenian that we CAN find here if we look), but their salads are basically cucumber and tomato based, rather than lettuce based. Very filling and satisfying. They are a lot like the Greek salads that you actually find IN GREECE, as opposed to the “Greek Salads” you find here. Cukes and tomatoes rather than lettuce based. Good stuff.
I wrote up my first attempt back home right here: http://littledoglost.blogspot.com/2010/08/my-first-bulgarian-shopska-salad-recipe.html
Thanks again, and I’m looking forward to the next episode!
Roland
Am thrilled to find out that the epis will be longer!
Hey, I have a theory about the whole salting cucumbers thing. I agree that it does *not* make them crisper if you’re just eating them like so, but when I make sweet pickles with Kirby cukes during summer, it requires salting them first, and I think it makes them a) lose water so that when you stick ‘em in the brine, they b) absorb the vinegar and sugar and re-crisp up. (It occurs to me that the word “turgid” applies here, which sounds naughty, but I figure you guys would appreciate that.)
I’m a little disappointed. While the two of you were talking about how salting cucumbers was detrimental to their texture no one said “Because my love for the crunch is fierce!”
Oh my god, I am so sorry.
Hi, so I was wondering if the salting isn’t to make it crunchier when fried maybe? in the case of the zucchini at least…
Just throwing that out there, could be completely wrong! Oh and great show! Only recently discovered it so have been listening out of order
(Just now catching up on all the Spilled Milks)
Shout-out for Mediterranean Imports and Deli!! The owner always greets my mom with the one or two Farsi phrases that he knows, his Persian cucumbers are great (you know Iranians add them to fruit bowls along with everything else, plums and grapes and whatnot? Try it!), and if you ask, he’ll order a whole box of Seville oranges for you — we’ve been doing it for years.