As the delicious. food team cook and test recipes, there’s constant tinkering and fervent discussion: timesaving ideas; new tricks we’ve heard of; some technique we’ve dreamed up and want to try… Then there are the questions and input we get from colleagues as they come to see what’s cooking. On these pages, our aim (with help from our regular experts) is to reproduce that test kitchen atmosphere, sharing the most useful ideas and tips we’ve discovered. It’s cookery gold!
MAKE THE BOUNTY LAST
CUCUMBERS
‘Cukes’ are the essence of a British summer.
If you get a load of them, store some away for later – the small ones are best
FREEZE Frozen cucumbers are never going to work for salad as they go mushy, but they’re fine for smoothies and juices. Chop them into chunks and freeze on a tray, then pack into freezer bags. Allow to half-defrost before putting in the blender or juicer.
PRESERVE Cucumber pickle makes a brilliant addition to a burger, and pairs well with cheese. It’s great made Scandi-style, with dill. The best cucumbers to preserve are the little ones, no more than 20cm long, sometimes called Lebanese or ridge cucumbers.
Slice 4 ridge cucumbers into medium-thick discs. Put in a bowl, sprinkle with 80g sea salt flakes, then cover and leave overnight. The next day, drain off the liquid, then pack into sterilised jars, layering with
2 tbsp dill seeds (from realfoods.co.uk) or fennel seeds and fresh dill sprigs. Heat 750ml white wine vinegar in a pan with 100g sugar until the sugar has dissolved. Bring to the boil, then pour over the cucumbers, making sure they’re well covered. Leave to cool a little, then seal and store in a cool place for at least a week or up to 3 months.
For a video guide on how to sterilise jars seedeliciousmagazine.co.uk/sterilise-jars
HOW TO…
DESCALE A FISH
Fish scales are hard, transparent discs. If your fish hasn’t been descaled, here’s how to do it:
• Put the fish on a chopping board. Hold the tail, then run the back of a large knife, quite firmly and at an angle, from tail to head, in quick, smooth strokes.
• There are a lot of scales and some will fly off (you could do this in a large sink). Once they’re off, rub the fish down with kitchen paper, then give it a quick rinse. It’s now good to go.
COOK’S TIP
If you have dry, sore or itchy eyes, make yourself a cuppa with a teabag. Squeeze the bag well, then let it cool a bit. Lie down and press it gently on your closed eyes for 20-30 minutes. The warmth is soothing, good for the pores and some think the tannins and caffeine reduce inflammation. Chilled teabags work well too.
THE PERFECT CHEESE MATCH