Seasonal Pantry: Why cucumbers are so cool

Few foods are more naturally refreshing than cucumbers. Eaten on their own, like an apple, even a single bite cools us on a hot day. Added to potato salad, sandwiches and certain sauces, cucumber add a bright note with every bite. Chopped and stirred into a good white-wine vinegar, they make a delicious shrub. Just a few slices in water, enjoyed chilled, makes that water at least twice as refreshing as it is without the cucumbers.

Yet cucumbers are so often overlooked, an afterthought when it comes to both shopping and cooking. And there are intriguing, less-familiar varieties that we find at our farmers markets these days. There was a time when lemon cucumbers -round, with yellow skin- were the darlings of the farmers market but there are much better varieties these days. The lemon cucumber has a great flavor but the ratio of flesh to seeds is often not so good, with just a thin layer of flesh and an enormous pocket of seeds. This year, I’ve enjoyed Armenian cucumbers, Persian cucumbers, Kirby cucumbers and long, thin, snake-like striped cucumbers, my favorite this year.

If you get cucumbers in a supermarket, be sure to peel them, as they are coated with a thin layer of wax before they are shipped. English cucumbers, typically wrapped tightly in plastic, are not waxed.

Cucumbers, which contain a large quantity of water, are low in calories; a cup of sliced cucumbers contains about 12 or 13 calories, along with a gram of protein and three grams of carbohydrates. They can be steamed, stuffed and baked, added to stir-fries and sautéed, solo or with other vegetables. Today’s recipes are the dishes I’m enjoying now. For other cucumber recipes from the Seasonal Pantry archives, visit “Eat This Now” at pantry.blogs.pressdemocrat.com.

Cucumber sandwiches are often dismissed as prissy and effete but, honestly, they are refreshing and delicious, especially when made with good ingredients.

Cucumber Sandwiches with Creme Fraiche & Revolution Sourdough

Serves 2 to 4

4 slices of bread, preferably Revolution’s sourdough

4 ounces, approximately, creme fraiche, cream cheese or fresh chevre

1 cucumber of choice, thinly sliced

- Kosher salt

- Black pepper in a mill

2 tablespoons fresh snipped chives or very thinly sliced spearmint

Toast the bread lightly and set it on a clean work surface. Spread a generous amount of creme fraiche over each piece an arrange cucumbers on top, overlapping them slightly.

Season with salt and pepper, scatter chives or spearmint on top and enjoy right away.

Not so long ago, tzatziki, a condiment of yogurt, garlic and cucumbers, was found almost exclusively in Greek restaurants. Now you can buy it in national chain supermarkets, though it’s best when you make it at home. Use it as an appetizer with flatbread, crackers or pita chips, alongside roasted vegetables and meats and on sandwiches.

Tzatziki

Serves 4

1 large or 2 small cucumbers, peeled, seeded, and minced

1 tablespoon kosher salt

4-6 garlic cloves, minced

8 ounces plain whole milk yogurt, such as Strauss

2 tablespoons snipped chives

2 teaspoons za’atar spice blend, optional (see Note below)

Put the cucumbers in a medium bowl and toss with 2 teaspoons of the salt. Put the mixture in a colander or a strainer lined with cheesecloth and let drain for 20 minutes.

Squeeze out any excess moisture and return to the bowl. Stir in the garlic, yogurt, chives, and remaining salt, to taste. Transfer to a small serving bowl, cover and chill for at least 30 minutes.

To serve, scatter the za’atar, if using, on top and enjoy cold.

Note: Za’atar is a tangy spice blend of sumac, toasted sesame seeds, oregano and, sometimes, thyme. They are many variations popular throughout the Middle East. I use za’atar from Local Spicery (freshlocalspices.com), which you’ll find at the Sebastopol Farmers Market twice a month.

We have much better yogurt than we did when I first began making this soup, many decades ago. Then, it was hard to find plain yogurt and it was almost never available in larger containers. Now we have outstanding locally made yogurts, probably the best selection in the country. Use your favorite, if you have one, and if you don’t, be sure to read the ingredients label. You want to use yogurts that contain only milk and live cultures.

Chilled Cucumber-Potato Soup

Serves 4 to 6

3 large cucumbers, peeled, seeded and diced

1 small red onion, diced

1 thyme sprig

- Kosher salt

- White pepper in a mill

2 cups homemade chicken stock or mild vegetable stock

8 ounces thick whole-milk yogurt, such as Straus, Bellwether or St. Benoit

1 medium potato, peeled, cut into small cubes and cooked until tender

- Zest of 1 lemon

1 tablespoon freshly snipped chives

Put the cucumber, onion, thyme, a generous pinch of salt and 1 ½ cups water into a medium saucepan, set over medium heat and simmer, covered, until the cucumbers are tender. Remove from the heat, discard the thyme sprig and cool. Puree the mixture with an immersion blender or by passing it through a food mill.

Season with several turns of pepper and stir in the stock and yogurt, mixing until the soup is quite smooth. Add the potatoes and lemon zest, stir again, cover and chill thoroughly.

To serve, taste and correct for salt and pepper. Ladle into soup plates, scatter chives on top and enjoy right away.

This simple dish, perfect in the fall, barely needs a recipe. It is quite flexible; you can add corn, roasted peppers, sautéed eggplant, large tomatoes instead of cherry tomatoes, or diced zucchini. Just be sure to taste it to make sure there is enough dressing and that it has the proper balance of acid, oil and salt.

Fall Potato Salad

Serves 3 to 4

1 pound small new potatoes, scrubbed and sliced

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more as needed

2-3 tablespoons red-wine vinegar, plus more to taste

1 thin cucumber, preferably Armenian, sliced into thin half-rounds

1 small Walla Walla or other sweet onion, very thinly sliced

1 cup sliced (or quartered if large) cherry tomatoes

½ cup sliced French breakfast radishes

- Kosher salt

- Black pepper in a mill

1 tablespoon chopped fresh Italian parsley.

Cook the potatoes in boiling, salted water until they are tender, about 6 to 7 minutes. Drain thoroughly, transfer to a wide salad bowl, and add the olive oil and vinegar. Let rest for 15 minutes.

Add the cucumber, onion, tomatoes and radishes and toss gently. Season with salt and pepper, taste, and correct for acid balance and for salt. Scatter the parsley on top.

Enjoy at room temperature. Store leftovers, covered, in the refrigerator; let warm to room temperature before serving.

Michele Anna Jordan has written 24 books to date, including the new “Good Cook’s” series. Email Jordan at michele@saladdresser.com. You’ll find her blog, “Eat This Now,” at pantry.blogs.pressdemocrat.com.