German - Cucumbers in Tomato Sauce
Source of Recipe
from Nancy at rdj
Recipe Introduction
When I first found an old German recipe for cooked cucumbers, I was
intrigued and had to try it; I mean, whoever heard of cooked cucumbers?
Answer: the Germans. And it's a delicious way to use some of the
slightly over-big cukes hiding in the garden. Below is my version of
this traditional European dish (with a bit of Texas added, if you use
some chipotle pepper). Enjoy,
List of Ingredients
German - Cucumbers in Tomato Sauce
3-4 medium cucumbers (or 2 large, cut in half, seeds scooped out)
1/2 pound bacon, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper
1 tsp sugar
3 Tblsp. chopped parsley
salt to taste
1/4 cup grated gruyere cheese (though I prefer parmesan)
1-2 tomatoes, skinned, halved, seeded, diced
1 small onion, chopped
optional: bit of chipotle pepper (chipotles are smoked and dried
jalapenos)
Initial preparation: Peel, cut in half and scoop out seeds from the
cucumbers; sprinkle 1 tsp. salt over them and set the them aside in a
colander for ½ hour to drain. While cukes are draining, assemble and
prepare the rest of the ingredients (good time to saute the bacon, grate
the cheese, peel and dice the tomatoes, chop onion/garlic, etc.) After
about a half hour, pat cuke halves dry and cut into half-inch slices.
Proceed with recipe.
1. In a large fry pan, fry bacon until crisp. Remove from pan and
drain. Discard all but a couple of tablespoons fat. In batches, sear
cucumber slices in 1 Tblsp. reserved fat per batch until lightly
browned, then remove from pan.
2. In same pan, cook onion until wilted, then add tomatoes, garlic,
sugar and pepper, simmer uncovered for 5 minutes (if using salsa instead
of onion/tomato, add the garlic & sugar to it and simmer for 5 minutes).
3. Return cucumbers and bacon to the now thickened tomato sauce in pan
and simmer the mixture until the cucumber slices are crisptender. Taste
and add salt if needed (remember, salsa has salt in it already). Stir
in the cheese and sprinkle with fresh chopped parsley. Serve warm.
Serves 4
Note: Fresh deli tomato/onion salsa may be substituted for the tomatoes
and onion. I like to add a bit of chipotle pepper to the tomato sauce,
or use 3/4 cup fresh salsa and 1/4 cup commercial chipotle salsa. Recipe
|
Â
Â
Â
|