Grilled Cucumber & Walnut Salad / Cucumber Slush

I’m including both of these recipes because I crave fresh tasting foods in cold weather, almost as much as I do, warm and hearty ones. I wouldn’t include these in the same meal, but am showcasing cucumbers as the boy thinks they are only for salads. I got both of these recipes from the Guardian and found them fascinating.

Chargrilled Cucumber with Walnuts

1 cucumber – a long thin one would be best

25ml white wine vinegar

25g Dijon mustard

5g salt

100ml extra virgin olive oil

30g walnut halves

I always think, that with so few ingredients, you should go for the best you can get. Get a ridged griddle pan really hot.  Peel the cucumber and then cut it into four roughly equal cylinders.

Toast the walnut halves  in the oven at 180 for five minute. If you have a two skillets you could do it that way. Chop them roughly.

Put them in the griddle pan and slowly roll them around so that they get lovely black char marks all over them. Use tongs to up end them so they get char grilled all over. You’re not looking to cook them through. Set them aside until cool enough to handle.

Cut them into coins, appropriately about pound coin thickness (5mm) or so. Whisk the oil, vinegar, salt and mustard together. And stir in the walnuts. Pour this over the cucumber, give it a quick mix to coat and just let it all socialise for 10 minutes.

I’m letting the boy taste for extra salt as it can often take it.

Frozen Cucumber Slush

The boy is making this as puddings are more his thing than mine, though I’m reading him the recipe.

2 cucumbers

Caster sugar (see below for volume)

Lemon juice, to taste

So a lot of discretion here, Freezing mutes flavours so again I’d go organic if you can so that the cucumber taste more of cucumber than water. Oh and you need a juicer.

Juice the cucumbers. If you don’t have a juicer, peel them, blend them and wring as much juice out of them by wringing the results out in a clean tea towel.

Next, weigh the cucumber juice – odd instruction I know! Add 10% by weight of caster sugar. Ours weigh 220g, so it needs 22g of sugar so we have  a net weight of 242g. The boy is doing the maths, not me!

Stir until the sugar dissolves. Squeeze in the lemon juice to taste, remembering that the flavours will tone right down after freezing.  We’re using half a lemon.

Pour into a plastic tub and put it in the freezer. The tedious part is that every half an hour I have to prod the boy to whisk it with a fork until it is frozen and grainy. You've got time to listen to the whole of Meistersingers while this freezes. Make the most of it.

When you sere it you can make it extra special by pouring a tablespoon of liqueur over the top. I don’t add it to the mix as the alcohol just inhibits the freezing. My two recommendations would be  Gordon’s Cucumber Gin, or St Germain which is an elderflower liqueur. Anything goes really but I think delicate flavours would work best.