Cucumber And Asian Pear Marinated Salad Recipes

CHINESE SMASHED CUCUMBERS WITH SESAME OIL AND GARLIC

Steps:

• Rinse cucumbers and pat dry. Cut crosswise into pieces about 4 inches long. Cut each piece in half lengthwise.
• On a work surface, place a piece of cucumber (or several) cut side down. Lay the blade of a large knife flat on top the cucumber and smash down lightly with your other hand. The skin will begin to crack, the flesh will break down and the seeds will separate. Repeat until the whole piece is smashed. Break or slice diagonally into bite-size pieces, leaving the seeds behind.
• Place the cucumber pieces in a strainer and toss with a big pinch of salt and a big pinch of sugar. Place a plastic bag filled with ice on top of the cucumbers to serve as a weight and place the strainer over a bowl. Let drain 15 to 30 minutes on the counter, or in the refrigerator until ready to serve, up to 4 hours.
• Make the dressing: In a small bowl, combine salt, sugar and rice vinegar. Stir until salt and sugar are dissolved. Stir in sesame oil and soy sauce.
• When ready to serve, shake cucumbers well to drain off any remaining liquid and transfer to a serving bowl. Drizzle with grapeseed or olive oil and toss. Add half the dressing, half the garlic and the red pepper flakes to taste, and toss. Keep adding dressing until cucumbers are well coated but not drowned. Taste and add more pepper flakes and garlic if needed. Serve immediately, garnished with cilantro and sesame seeds.

PEAR CUCUMBER SALAD WITH BALSAMIC AND SHAVED ROMANO CHEESE

Steps:

• Combine pears, cucumber, vinegar, parsley, and oil. Season to taste with salt and black pepper. Using a vegetable peeler, shave Romano over top before serving.
• Spoon over crisp romaine lettuce.

CHILLED CUCUMBER AND WOOD EAR MUSHROOM SALAD

Steps:

• Soak mushrooms in water until hydrated, 15 to 20 minutes. Drain and place in a saucepan over medium heat; boil for 2 minutes. Drain and let cool.
• Combine lime juice, soy sauce, sesame oil, ginger, sugar, and chile pepper in a bowl. Toss in cucumber, mushrooms, and sesame seeds. Chill for at least 1 hour before serving.

MARINATED CUCUMBER SALAD

Steps:

• Combine the vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, oil and 1 tablespoon water in a medium bowl and whisk to combine. Add the cucumbers, cover, and let marinate in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour. Serve chilled.

CRISP MARINATED CUCUMBERS

Steps:

• Whisk vinegar, sugar, salt, and celery seed together in a large bowl; stir in cucumbers and onion. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Serve cold.

CUCUMBER AND ASIAN PEAR MARINATED SALAD

Steps:

• Slice the cucumbers in half lenghwise, and scoop out the seeds with a spoon. Slice the halves again into half, so you end up with quarters. Cut up the cucumber into chunks about 3/4 cm / 1/2 inch thick (no need to be too precise here; just chop away roughly). Peel, quarter and core the nashi pear. Slice fairly thinly. Combine the cucumber and pear in a large bowl and sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt. Mix well and set aside. In a small bowl, combine the rest of the salt, soy sauce, vinegar, sugar and chili pepper flakes. Stir well but don't worry if the sugar and salt don't melt totally - they will melt once you mix this with the vegetables. Put the combined sauce in the large bowl with the cucumber and pear, scraping out any unmelted sugar and salt. Mix very well. Cover, and let rest for at least an hour or overnight in the refrigerator. It will keep tightly covered for a week. If using in a bento, you may want to put it in a leakproof container if you add some of the marinating sauce. This goes well with a Japanese-style or not-so-Japanese style bento.

CUCUMBER AND PEAR SALAD

Steps:

• In a large bowl toss together the chopped pears and cucumbers.
• In a blender add the apple cider vinegar, poppy seeds, sugar, pepper, and salt. Blend to combine. Slowly pour in the olive oil until a smooth dressing forms. Pour the dressing over the cucumber and pear and toss. Top with sliced almonds and serve.