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Cucumbers á la Grecque

For those who have seen Julie & Julia (2009), a celebration of food and marriage, a featured recipe was Cucumbers á la Grecque. This delicious recipe is from Julia Child's famous revolutionary "Mastering the Art of French Cooking," published in 1961.

The art of cooking vegetables in an aromatic broth, or Court Bouillon, is a lost skill in this country well worth resuming.

Court Bouillon

1 pound cucumbers (about 4 cups)
2 cups water
6 tablespoons olive oil
1/3 tablespoon salt
2 tablespoons minced shallot or green onions

Tied in Cheesecloth

6 sprigs parsley including root if available
1 small celery stalk with leaves or 1/8 teaspoon celery seeds
1 spring fresh fennel or 1/8 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 spring fresh thyme or 1/8 teaspoon dried thyme
12 peppercorns
6 coriander seeds
(or any other herbs and spices as you like)

Preparation:

1. Peel cucumbers, cut in half lengthwise, and scoop out the seeds with a spoon. Cut halves into 1/2-inch strips lengthwise, then into 2-inch pieces. Toss with 1/2 teaspoon of salt for each 4 cups of cucumber pieces, and let stand in a bowl for 20 minutes.

2. In an enameled or stainless steel saucepan place all of the Court Bouillon ingredients (excepting the cucumbers) and bring to a simmer. Drain the cucumbers thoroughly, put them into the Court Bouillon, and simmer for 10 minutes. Drain and reserve the cucumbers nicely arranged on a serving dish and place in refrigerator. Reduce (boil) the Court Bouillon down to roughly 1/3 cup. Pour it over the cucumbers and chill. (I substituted black mustard seeds for the coriander seeds.)

3. Sprinkle minced fresh green herbs on the cucumbers just before serving. Cracked pepper is a must. Experiment with other vegetables such as artichoke hearts, celery, eggplant, fennel, leeks, onions, broccoli and combinations thereof.