Schmorgurken, German Braised Cucumbers with Dill
Schmorgurken is what the Spreewald does with the cucumbers it cannot pickle fast enough: it braises them. Cooked cucumber sounds odd until you taste one, soft and savory and nothing like the raw slice. The old recipe binds the pan juices with a butter roux and often a spoon of sour cream, both of which a puree of white beans replaces cleanly, adding a little protein while it thickens. Peel and seed the cucumbers first or they weep and turn the sauce thin. Whole mustard seed and sweet paprika do the seasoning, dill and a splash of white wine vinegar finish it, and the whole thing comes together in one pan in under half an hour. Serve it beside boiled potatoes or a plate of lentils.
Ingredients
- 2 lb Cucumber, peeled, seeded, cut in batons
- 1 whole Yellow onions, sliced thin
- 2 cloves Garlic, minced
- 1 tsp Yellow mustard seed
- 1 tsp Sweet paprika
- 1 tsp no-salt vegetable bouillon
- 1/2 cup Blended white beans
- 2 tbsp White wine vinegar
- 3 tbsp Dill, chopped
- 1/2 tsp Black peppercorns, freshly ground
Method
- Peel the cucumbers, halve them lengthwise, and scrape out the seeds with a spoon before cutting into thick batons. The skin turns bitter under long heat and the seed core is where all the water sits, so removing both is what keeps a braised cucumber from collapsing into a watery puddle.
- Sweat the onion, garlic, and mustard seed in 3 tbsp water (45 ml) until the onion is soft and the seeds smell toasty, about 6 minutes. The whole mustard seed is doing the work jarred mustard would, giving a low background heat without any added salt.
- Add the cucumber batons, paprika, bouillon, and 0.5 cup water (120 ml). Cover and braise until the cucumber turns translucent and tender but still holds its shape, about 10 minutes. This is the point of the dish, a summer glut of cucumbers cooked like a vegetable rather than sliced raw.
- Stir in the blended white beans and let it bubble for a minute to thicken into a light sauce. The bean puree replaces the flour-and-fat roux the traditional version uses, so the sauce clings without a slick of oil. Finish off the heat with the dill, vinegar, and pepper.
Nutrition
Estimated per serving: 90 calories, 5 g protein, 3 g fiber, 35 mg sodium. Computed from USDA FoodData Central reference values for the main ingredients. This is an approximation, not a laboratory measurement. How these are computed.
Cost per serving is estimated from US national-average retail prices for cheap staple forms, using BLS dried-bean prices and USDA produce prices. Prices vary by store and season, so treat it as a guide, not a receipt. How this is computed.
