During lunch with a colleague last week, the conversation turned to cucumbers (What can I say? I love to eat food. I love to talk about food. I love to talk about food while I eat food...). Specifically, the discussion centered around cucumbers as a sandwich ingredient, and a most divine sandwich ingredient at that. Thoughtfully, I pondered my tuna-with-cucumber-and-sprouts on French bread. What is it about a cucumber that makes it such a wonderful addition to a sandwich? And, since a few slices of cucumber can literally transform a sandwich, why isn't its use as a topper more ubiquitous?
I can't answer the second question. But, since my forays into the world of cucumber-laden sandwiches were born not from a search for flavor, but rather from a more practical place, I can attempt a response to the first. A cucumber on a sandwich functions much like lettuce - crunchy and refreshing, with an unmistakable flavor that says "veggie". But unlike lettuce, the cucumber has more of all of this - more of a structured crunch, more of a refreshing sensation, more of that vegetal "green-ness". Which gets to why I started putting cucumbers on my sandwiches... Quite simply, they were a great replacement for wilt-prone lettuce when I was shopping for one! The pita sandwich below was, and still is, one of my staples in a pinch and highlights the cucumber nicely.
Pita Sandwich with Cucumber and Hummus
(makes 2)
1 medium-sized pita, halved crosswise to form two pockets
1/4 english cucumber (about 4 inches), sliced thin
1 medium vine tomato
2 oz. pepper jack cheese, sliced (you can also use a good, creamy feta - I love Trader Joe's brand)
4 T roasted red pepper hummus*
Carefully open each pita half and spread the hummus evenly around the inside of the pocket. Arrange the cheese slices along one side of the pocket, using the hummus to keep them in place. Do the same with the cucumber slices on the other side of the pocket. Slice the tomato and place the slices between the cheese and cucumber to complete the sandwich.
*Of course, there is no reason a traditional hummus wouldn't work in this sandwich just as well, as would a different flavor. I like to use jalapeno hummus when I am craving even more of a "kick".
I can't answer the second question. But, since my forays into the world of cucumber-laden sandwiches were born not from a search for flavor, but rather from a more practical place, I can attempt a response to the first. A cucumber on a sandwich functions much like lettuce - crunchy and refreshing, with an unmistakable flavor that says "veggie". But unlike lettuce, the cucumber has more of all of this - more of a structured crunch, more of a refreshing sensation, more of that vegetal "green-ness". Which gets to why I started putting cucumbers on my sandwiches... Quite simply, they were a great replacement for wilt-prone lettuce when I was shopping for one! The pita sandwich below was, and still is, one of my staples in a pinch and highlights the cucumber nicely.
Pita Sandwich with Cucumber and Hummus
(makes 2)
1 medium-sized pita, halved crosswise to form two pockets
1/4 english cucumber (about 4 inches), sliced thin
1 medium vine tomato
2 oz. pepper jack cheese, sliced (you can also use a good, creamy feta - I love Trader Joe's brand)
4 T roasted red pepper hummus*
Carefully open each pita half and spread the hummus evenly around the inside of the pocket. Arrange the cheese slices along one side of the pocket, using the hummus to keep them in place. Do the same with the cucumber slices on the other side of the pocket. Slice the tomato and place the slices between the cheese and cucumber to complete the sandwich.
*Of course, there is no reason a traditional hummus wouldn't work in this sandwich just as well, as would a different flavor. I like to use jalapeno hummus when I am craving even more of a "kick".
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