Try cucumbers ¢ A RECENT Monday morn- ing brought an unexpected courier to my front door. Edena Sheidon CUISINE SCENE He delivered a long wooden 12- inch standard ruler. tied up with a festive bright-green ribbon. A print- ed clue asked: “What's longer than a 12-inch ruler?” The next day, clue number two arrived — a bottle of Gatorade tied up with ribbons, a printed clue around the middle asking: “And. what's more thirst quenching than a boule of Gatorade?” I stayed tuned for more juicy secrets. Thursday brought the friendly courier again, this time with an enormous carton of B.C. Hothouse long English cucumbers with some great recipes created by cookbook author Diane Clement for B.C. Hothouse. Now that the long hot summer is finally here, the folks at B.C. Hothouse are celebrating their cool English cucumbers (they are the main producer of this crisp, totally edible wonder) with lots of creative ideas for enjoying them at home. North Shore resident Glen Wong (president and CEO of B.C. Hothouse) savs “all our cucumbers are grown without the use of herbi- cides and as much as possible we control unwanted pests with natural predators such as ladybugs.” So it’s no accident that these carefully tended hothouse-grown cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers and butter lettuces all taste better. The consistent quality we get is the end result: vine-ripened. indi- vidually hand-picked, washed. graded and hand packed, and avail- able to us 24 hours later. None of this fly-in-from-halfway-around- the-globe business! So let's all support our local growers. Start with these superb cucumbers, on the market right now. At first bite you will see the difference. As their saying goes, “they were grown in the great indoors!” Happy cooking with cooling recipes to follow. Some Cuke-facts 71 Cucumbers came to Europe via Egypt. arriving in Great Britain towards the end of the 16th century. TBC. Hothouse cucumbers have been grown for more than 25 years. TJ Long English cucumbers are un- waxed, unlike field cucumbers. Therefore. the bright green skin is completely edible. 7 Prime season for enjoying these cukes is from February to October. 1 Field cucumbers often have bitter juices that may cause indigestion. Hothouse-grown cukes hive sweet juices and are more easily digested. VB.C. Hothouse suggests storing these cucumbers at room tempera- ture. Storing them in the refrigera- tor causes (hem to soften, Leave on the protective wrap until ready to serve. Give them a quick cooling in the fridge right before serving. TZATZIKI Use long English cucumbers for this recipe — a classic Greek appe- tizer. Serve chilled. with wedges of warm oy grilled pita bread for dip- ping. Makes a great accompaniment to grilled kebabs. grilled chicken skewers, or barbecued salmon filets. Makes 2c. Serves eight-10. 2 long English cucumbers, tinely diced or coarsely grated and well drained Ac. (175 mL) plain yegurt %e. (175 mL) sour cream 2 garlic cloves, crushed 2 green onions, chepped finely Juice of { small lemon 1 Tbsp (15 mL) white wine vinegar Pepper to taste % c. (80 mL) chopped fresh diliweed % tsp. (2 mL) Dijon mustard Mix all ingredients together. Taste and correct for seasoning. Cover and chill up to three days. CUCUMBER AU GRATIN Try cucumbers baked, for a dif- ferent flavor. The delicate flavor of the cucumbers is enhanced when combined with imported Gruyere cheese and a hint of nutmeg. Serve as a vegetable side dish. Assemble early in the day: refriger- ate until ready to buke. Lovely with fresh salmon, deli- cate white fish filets and Cespecial- ly) nice with roast chicken, Serves six to eight. 3 tong English cucumbers 4 Thsp. (50 mL) butter 5 Tbsp. (65 mL) green onions, finely chopped Pinch salt Pepper to taste % tsp. (1 mi) nutmeg 1% c. (375 mL) grated Gruyére or Emmenthal cheese On morning of serving. peel the cucumbers (nicer for this dish) and cut into three-inch (7.5 cm) pieces. Slice each piece in half lengthwise. Place on paper towels. sprinkte with a bit of salt and let sit about five minutes to drain. Pat dry, COLUMBUS FARM MARKET EDGEMONT VILLAGE Corner of Edgemont Bivd. & Queens 983-9330 Wa reserve the right to timit quantities, Prices in effect Wed., July 27 to Tues., Aug. 02, 1994 Wednesday, July 27, 1934 - Nortt Shore News - 39 NEWS photo Terry Peters SUMMER COOLING at its best. Use thin cuke slices to cool tired eyes as Cleopatra once did (according to legend) or try a scothing cucumber and milk cleanser. Another option is to try some cooling summer recipes using long English cucumbers. It’s a cool thing te do! Melt butter in large skillet. Saute cucumbers for two to three minutes. Add a pinch of sait, pepper and the green onions, Toss together one minute. Arrange cucumbers in a shallow baking dish or casserole. Sprinkle with a little nutmeg and cover with the grated cheese. When ready to serve, bake dish in # pre-heated 350°F (180°C) oven uncovered for about 20-25 minutes or just until cheese is melted and the cucumbers are heated through. CUCUMBER AND PEPPER THAI SALAD This refreshing and piquant E Sit COMFORTERS BEL “IN-A-BAG Asian salad is perfect for summer- time entertaining. Delicious with grilled fish, shrimp. or grilled pork. Serves four to six. 2 long English cucumbers 3 peppers (1 each of red, yellow and orange sweet bell peppers) 2 jalapefio peppers, seeded and minced 1 Tbsp. (15 mL) pure dark sesame seed oil (Chinese) 3 Thsp. (45 mL) rice wine vinegar Juice of TE lime 2 tsp. (8 mL) white sugar % tsp. (1 mL) salt 3 Thsp. (45 mL) fresh mint, chopped 3 Thsp. (45 mL} fresh basil, chopped Pinch dried, crushed red pepper flakes Slice the unpeeled cucumbers paper thin into rounds. Stem and seed the peppers and slice into thin julienne strips. Combine cucum- bers, peppers, and chili pepper in large bowl. : Combine all remaining ingredi- ents, whisking smooth, Add to salad and toss well to coat. Let stand at least one hour, refrigerated. Serve chilled, arranged on an attractive rustic platter. Along with my delivery of See Cukes page 40 OFF ALL SI TWIN TWIN Reg: 29.99 NOW 1 Q99 Reg: 79.99 NOW 6939 Mostly Prints, Some Solids, Percale, Bonded Polyester Fibrefi}! Springmaid, Martex, Texmade, Wabasso, and Cannon SALE ENDS AUGUST 2, 1994