Damian’s Stewed Beef with Cucumber

Stewed Beef with Cucumbers Photo by Cynthia Nelson

Hi Everyone,

An acquaintance of mine, Damian, asked me, “Have you ever cooked cucumbers? You’ve got to try it,” he said. “Cook it in a stew with beef… but you have to know when to add it to the pot. Make sure the beef is fully cooked, and just a few minutes before the stew is done, add the cucumbers and turn it up in the nice thick sauce.” Damian air-licked his fingers to indicate the deliciousness of the stewed beef with cucumbers.

One of the many pleasures of writing this column is the discussions and exchanges that ensue. A couple of weeks ago I wrote about cooking watermelon rind. There were a few skeptics, but people were excited to share their enjoyment of cooking other, similar vegetables – such as chichinga (chichira/snake gourd) and nenwa. While I had heard of