Tuesday, July 02, 2013
Cool as a proverbial
In this little burst of hot weather, I've remembered my grandmother's constant habit of serving cucumbers. I'm pretty sure she ate them all the time (old German tendency), but they were especially fine in summer. She had a long trough-like bowl that always held a sliced cucumber in vinegar. Must have been some oil as well, plus a lot of dill. Her second-floor apartment got seriously hot despite a window AC, and the tart cucumber had a distinct cooling effect. [Come to think of it, Grandma was also a tart character with a distinct cooling effect. I've inherited her temperament.]
Decided to try the cooling effect in my usual chili-like stuff, and the result is so good that it's worth writing a proper recipe.
Prerequisite: Cooked barley. I boil up a cup of pearl barley every few days and use it instead of rice or pasta. Lots of protein and fiber.
Ingredients:
Start with a cup of water in a saucepan. Turn on medium heat, add some salt.
Add 4 heaped tablespoons of the cooked barley.
Half cup of broccoli. (I use frozen 'florets', better than fresh to my tongue. I put the broccoli in hot water to thaw while chopping other stuff, and add it last, shredding it by hand instead of chopping.)
One chopped carrot.
About 4 inches of cucumber, sliced and quartered.
Add a good long shake of chili powder, and heat for about 10 minutes.
Skim off the starchy stuff.
Add a can of Campbell's Tomato Bisque, another good long shake of chili powder, and a short shake of dill seeds.
Heat for another 10 minutes, just barely boiling. Stir and skim once or twice.
The result is sharp and tangy at the same time. Nutritious and cooling.
¶ 6:03 PM 
Prerequisite: Cooked barley. I boil up a cup of pearl barley every few days and use it instead of rice or pasta. Lots of protein and fiber.
Ingredients:
Start with a cup of water in a saucepan. Turn on medium heat, add some salt.
Add 4 heaped tablespoons of the cooked barley.
Half cup of broccoli. (I use frozen 'florets', better than fresh to my tongue. I put the broccoli in hot water to thaw while chopping other stuff, and add it last, shredding it by hand instead of chopping.)
One chopped carrot.
About 4 inches of cucumber, sliced and quartered.
Add a good long shake of chili powder, and heat for about 10 minutes.
Skim off the starchy stuff.
Add a can of Campbell's Tomato Bisque, another good long shake of chili powder, and a short shake of dill seeds.
Heat for another 10 minutes, just barely boiling. Stir and skim once or twice.
The result is sharp and tangy at the same time. Nutritious and cooling.
¶ 6:03 PM
