stuffed cucumbers with fruit

2020-07-13

Another variation on the stuffed cucumber soup. Marielos loves this soup, but I still try to make small changes to evaluate the effect of those differences.

a. the Cajun trinity: bell peppers, celery, onions

Celery, onions and bell peppers are used as a base in many, many Cajun recipes and this combination is known as the Cajun trinity.

I used it here for the base soup together with potatoes, instead of just celery and potatoes. No Cajun spices, they don't belong with this mild-flavored soup. I did stir-fry for extra flavor.

INGREDIENTS

This is what you need for 2-3 servings:

1-2 medium onions
1/4 to 1/2 celery head
3-4 bell peppers
olive oil
S&P
(Cajun / Creole spices)

Pic1: the Cajun trinity

Directions

2020-07-13

Pic2: onions
Pic3: celery
Pic4: bell peppers

Cut the onions coarsely (halves and eighths.)
Cut celery, bell peppers.
Sauté the onions in olive oil until the edges show brown. (Pic2)
Add celery and bell peppers. (Pic3+4)

Pic5-7: stir-fry

Mix and stir-fry until the bell peppers are done to your preference. (Pic5-7)
I want them softened. I get heartburn if bell peppers are not fully cooked.
To get the base soup for the stuffed cucumbers, I added 2 medium diced potatoes, covered all with water / chicken stock, and simmered 15 minutes.

b. stuffed cucumber soup, the meal

I prepared this just like the standard stuffed cucumber soup with the above Cajun Trinity added.

The only other differences were some slight changes in ingredients.

The meat mix was 50-50 beef and pork.
I added up to 2 cups (drained) canned fruit, as well as 2 whole eggs and breadcrumbs to compensate for the extra moisture from the fruit. That seemed to be effective because the meatballs did not fall apart.

I did not serve this as a soup today, served the pan-fried meatballs with the soup vegetables and stuffed cucumber instead.

Directions

2020-07-13: meat mix:

Pic8-10: meat mix

Combine meat, eggs, canned fruit, S&P, spices, breadcrumbs in a mixing boil.
Mix very well without making fruit paste.

soup:

Pic11-13:

Peel and core the cucumbers. Stuff with the meat mixture.
Add the cucumbers to the base soup. (see above)
Bring to a boil. Simmer 30 minutes or until the cucumbers look glassy throughout.

meatballs: