When it comes to humble, ho-hum vegetables, cucumbers often find their way to the top of the list.
Available in every grocery store produce aisle, no matter what the season, the long, green members of the gourd, or Cucurbitaceae, family of plants is so ubiquitous that the average American will eat more than 8 pounds of cucumbers each year, either raw in salads or bathed in brine as pickles.
Yet to dismiss the fruit as nothing more than a reliable, crunchy base for a salad or sandwich, or a crisp green garnish on a bowl of noodles, is to deny yourself of one of the most versatile culinary ingredients.
For instance, cucumbers can be blended into smoothies, thinly sliced and filled with cream cheese and salmon as a roll-up finger food, or stirred together with yogurt, garlic and lemon into the Greek dressing tzatziki. They also can add a colorful garnish to certain cocktails and mocktails and sliced a little on the thicker side, make a great bread substitute for appetizer spreads.
Pureed with a little lime juice and simple syrup, cucumbers also can be frozen into popsicles.
This time of year, with temperatures rising, they also make a good base for a cool, fresh-tasting soup.
Cucumbers have the highest water content of any food—more even than the eponymous watermelon. Each is a whopping 96 pecent water, which means cukes are not only great for watching your weight (an entire cucumber counts just 45 calories), but also make the perfect ingredient when you need something refreshing and hydrating to chill out on a hot summer day.
To get you started, we offer three recipes where cucumber plays a starring role: a bright-red strawberry-cucumber gazpacho with just a hint of chili; a spicy curried cucumber soup that gets its kick from fresh ginger, garlic and lemon; and a classic, no-fuss cucumber soup flavored with citrusy-tart Granny Smith apple.
All can be made in a blender or food processor, and are best served after cooling in the fridge for at least an hour to allow the flavors to meld.
I used English cucumbers, which have thin skins, minimal seeds and a mild flavor, but you could easily swap in garden cucumbers, which are the most common variety in the U.S. and the ones you’re most likely to find at a farmers market or grow in your backyard. Just remember they have a thicker skin and grocery store cukes often come waxed, so you may want to peel and seed them before tossing them into the food processor or blender.
When buying, look for cucumbers that are an even medium or dark green color, without any blemishes or yellow spots that indicate they’re over ripening. They also should be firm, without any soft spots. Smaller cucumbers will have fewer seeds and tend to be a bit crisper.
