Cucumbers and Squash

Cucumbers
             Canel Cucumber
             Getting the Excess Water Out of Cucumbers - Dick Tartow
             Sara Waterson's Greek Salad
             Cucumber Relish For Salmon Or Other Grilled Fish - Invented by Sara Waterson
             Cucumber Soup - Sara Waterson
             Cucumber Side Dish - Randal Allred
Squash
             Julia Child's Grated Zuchinni - Linnea
             Calabacitas - Alice Gomez

Cucumbers
Canel Cucumber
2 large cucumbers
1 tsp. cinnamon
2 tsp. sugar
Cut washed cucumbers into 1/4" circles. Mix cinnamon with sugar, and place mixture in a salt shaker. Shake cinnamon sugar onto each cucumber round. Serve.

Getting the Excess Water Out of Cucumbers - Dick Tartow
The best way to get excess water out of cucumbers is to place the sliced cukes in a colander or strainer, salt them and let them sit for about half an hour, that rinse them with cold water, and proceed with whatever recipe. Particularly if you are going to use them in a salad, or puree them with yogurt to make a cold cucumber soup.

Sara Waterson's Greek Salad
Chop the cucumber into half-inch square chunks, do same with some good firm tomatoes. Chop a hunk of Feta cheese (Greek sheep's milk cheese, quite salty, sold in vacuum packs in which it keeps forever) into half-inch cubes, add to salad.
Toss in some olives, preferably dry black Greek olives - they are sold in jars in UK. Sprinkle a little oregano over, then a few twists of black pepper, pour a little good olive oil over, and a VERY little lemon juice or vinegar - et voila! Imagine you are on Skorpios, or Hydra, and open the Aphrodite.

Cucumber Relish For Salmon Or Other Grilled Fish - Invented by Sara Waterson
Peel then dice the cucumber quite small. Put in a saucepan with a good lump of butter and sweat - add a dribble of water at the start to make sure butter does not burn [covering the pan helps this]. Cook gently till all the liquid is almost gone - the cucumber will give off a lot, but it evaporates as the sauce thickens. Add a little chopped feathery fennel, or fresh mint, or lemon juice/dash of white wine, to taste. I usually use fennel; it's a very nice accompaniment to grilled fish.

Cucumber Soup - Sara Waterson
Cucumber soup is very good too, hot or chilled, and simple to make. Puree with chicken or veg stock, add cream or soured cream.

Cucumber Side Dish - Randal Allred
Slice fresh cucumbers, stripe-peeled, into a bowl. Add a solution of half good cider vinegar and half spring water. Salt and grind fresh black pepper into the bowl, mix (swoosh around) and let stand in fridge for at least half an hour. This makes a wonderful side dish, fresh and clean, to barbecued chicken (island kine), corn on the cob, and so on.
And lemonade.

Squash
Julia Child's Grated Zuchinni - Linnea
Take 3 or 4 or 5 nice zuchinni and grate coarsely and put into a colander.
Sprinkle with about 1 teasp. of salt and toss lightly, and let stand for l/2 hour or more.
Then squeeze the moisture out which has been drawn up by the salt, and put in warmed pan with olive oil and saute' quickly, turning as it cooks. I think she added garlic, as well-- it tastes like a new vegetable and is delicious.

Calabacitas - Alice Gomez
In the Southwest, the natives didn't know beans and so were spared the horrors of succotash. Instead they left us the legacy of calabacitas: fresh corn cut off the cob, squash (traditional is a combo of summer/crookneck/zucchini), and onion all sauteéd in a little butter and steamed. When tender, add green chile to taste and a little milk (traditional but optional - I don't add it). Much better than succotash.