Schmorgurken (German Braised Cucumbers)
There are many variations of this dish in Germany and I grew up with this simple, sweet and sour vegetarian one. Often ground beef or small meat balls are added to the mix and sometimes also tomato. I don’t know of any cooked cucumber dishes in the States but having grown up with this one in Germany it doesn’t seem odd to me and is well worth a try. The quantities are squishy for this recipe, confirmed by my mother. Just scale up or down to taste and depending on what you have.
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Schmorgurken (German Braised Cucumbers)
There are many variations of this dish in Germany and I grew up with this simple, sweet and sour vegetarian one. Often ground beef or small meat balls are added to the mix and sometimes also tomato. I don’t know of any cooked cucumber dishes in the States but having grown up with this one in Germany it doesn’t seem odd to me and is well worth a try. The quantities are squishy for this recipe, confirmed by my mother. Just scale up or down to taste and depending on what you have.
Ingredients
Serves 4
Olive oil
2 large or 3 medium cucumbers, peeled and cut in half lengthwise and seeds removed with a teaspoon
½ cup sour cream
2 tablespoons white wine or cider vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
Salt and lots of freshly ground pepper
3 or more tablespoons chopped fresh dill
Cooked rice for serving
Preparation
Put your rice on to cook—we grew up eating this over long grain white rice but you could by all means use brown as well.
Cut the halved cucumbers into ½-inch half-rounds. In a large, heavy skillet sauté the cucumber slices in a bit of olive oil over medium to medium-high heat, stirring frequently. They will release quite a bit of liquid, which is great. It will add to the sauce. When they are translucent and softening (about 10 minutes) add the sour cream, vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper. Simmer for about 5 minutes more until the cucumbers are completely tender and the sauce has thickened a little. Add the dill, taste and adjust for salt and pepper and serve hot over rice.
BeeGee says:
Quite like the one (except the dill) recipe we had served over boiled potatoes with butter. (It is a “poor men’s dish” hence we never saw any meat with it!)
Often the cucumbers where taken from the garden when they were over-ripe (turning yellow, seeds removed for reseeding the following year, and then prepared much according to that recipe…
BeeGee says:
Quite like the one (except the dill) recipe we had served over boiled potatoes with butter. (It is a “poor men’s dish” hence we never saw any meat with it!)
Often the cucumbers where taken from the garden when they were over-ripe (turning yellow, seeds removed for reseeding the following year, and then prepared much according to that recipe…), mostly not even with sour cream, but a simple sauce made by adding flour to the fat in the pan, then seasoned to taste with vinegar and a tiny bit of sugar.
cookwithwhatyouhave says:
Yes, dill is almost always in this dish. Glad you made it and enjoyed it.
Cheryl Phillipps says:
I read and heard on YouTube that cucumbers are VERY good for my body. I actually had NO IDEA there was a variety of “cooked” cucumber recipes. I am going to try this one. Thank You!
Sincerely, Cheryl Phillipps @ [email protected]