Warm Salad with Cucumbers for Mid-September
23 September 2007 by Jean Johnson
Cucumbers have about lost their appeal this time of year when the winter squashes are starting to appear. It’s the same with raw tomatoes. The temperatures are dropping, and we want food with a bit of warmth to it. That said the cukes and tomatoes are still around and need using.
In my kitchen today it went like this: I started in cast iron skillet with some pinto beans and a bit of oil (actually I had some leftover garlic butter that I used). I turned the beans into refrieds by smashing them with a fork as things warmed over low heat.
A couple days ago I baked a spaghetti squash (cut sides down on a rimmed baking tray to catch the juices) and some bell peppers, fare I value as much as leftovers than I do the first go round. So I put a couple spoonfuls of squash in with beans and added a pepper cut into reasonably small pieces. While this was warming I tossed in a chopped tomato. Then when things were warmed up, I crumbled some blue cheese over the top.
From there it was a matter of grating a cucumber with the peeling for a plate, warming a corn tortilla (on my cast iron griddle that sits forever at the waiting on the front burner), topping the shredded cukes with the warm goodies, and garnishing with a bit of herb and dried chile. I could have also added a few drops of vinegar like cider or red wine, but I didn’t. Still, the salad was superb.
A perfect mix of late summer and early fall with cucumber crisp against the mellow peppers and squash. What could be better on this second day of autumn?
