*Fruit & Vegetable Recipes* Part One

The noun vegetable usually means an edible plant or part of a plant other than a sweet fruit or seed. This typically means the leaf, stem, or root of a plant.
However, the word is not scientific, and its meaning is largely based on culinary and cultural tradition. Therefore, the application of the word is somewhat arbitrary and subjective. For example, some people consider mushrooms to be vegetables even though they are not plants,  while others consider them a separate food category.
Some vegetables can be consumed raw, some may be eaten cooked, and some must be cooked in order to be edible. Vegetables are most often cooked in savory or salty dishes. However, a few vegetables are often used in desserts and other sweet dishes, such as rhubarb pie and carrot cake.
As an adjective, the word vegetable is used in scientific and technical contexts with a different and much broader meaning, namely of "related to plants" in general, edible or not — as in vegetable matter, vegetable kingdom, vegetable origin, etc.  The meaning of "vegetable" as "plant grown for food" was not established until the 18th century.

^{*Potato Pancakes*}

Potato pancakes are commonly associated with traditional cuisines of Luxembourg, Latvia, Lithuania, Austria, Belarus (as draniki), Germany (f. ex. as Puffer), Poland (as placki ziemniaczane), Ukraine (as deruny), Ashkenazi Jewry (as latkes or latkas (Yiddish: לאַטקעס, Hebrew: לביבה levivah, plural לביבות levivot), Hungary, Slovakia, Persia and the Czech lands, although other cuisines (including those of India and Korea) have similar dishes, such as Gamjajeon.  It is also the national dish of Belarus. In Ukrainian, Belarusian and Russian cuisines, potato pancakes are commonly known as deruny (Ukrainian: деруни) or draniki (Russian: драники, Belarusian: дранікі). Throughout Germany, potato pancakes are also very common under the names Reibekuchen or Kartoffelpuffer, and they are eaten either salty (as a side dish) or sweet with apple sauce  and cinnamon; they are a very common menu item during outdoor markets and festivals in colder seasons.
The Rösti from Swiss cuisine differs in so far as it never contains egg or flour.
A form of potato pancake known as 'Boxty' is a popular traditional dish in most of Ireland. It is made in a similar way but using more starch.
The Swedish version of unbound potato pancakes is called rårakor. When prepared with a batter of wheat flour, milk, egg, and shredded potatoes and fried like thin pancakes, they are called raggmunk, which literally translates as "hairy doughnuts" (the grated potatoes make them look hairy).  Both kinds are enjoyed with fried bacon and lingonberry jam.

*Cucumbers*

The cucumber is a creeping vine that roots in the ground and grows up trellises or other supporting frames, wrapping around ribbing with thin, spiraling tendrils. The plant has large leaves that form a canopy over the fruit. The fruit of the cucumber is roughly cylindrical, elongated with tapered ends, and may be as large as 60 centimeters (24 in) long and 10 centimeters (3.9 in) in diameter. Having an enclosed seed and developing from a flower, botanically speaking, cucumbers are classified as fruits. However, much like tomatoes and squash they are often perceived, prepared and eaten as vegetables.  Cucumbers are usually more than 90% water.

*Cucumber Salad*

Ingredients

• 2 English cucumbers (2 pounds)
• 1 small red onion
• 1 1/2 tablespoons salt
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon white wine vinegar or sherry vinegar
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 2 teaspoons dried dill or 2 tablespoons fresh

Directions

Slice the cucumber lengthwise, remove the seeds, and slice thinly. Thinly slice the onion.

In a colander, toss the cucumber and onion with the salt and let it sit and drain for 20 minutes. Press the liquid out of the vegetables and rinse well with cold water.

In a medium bowl combine the vinegar and sugar and stir well. Add the cucumber mixture and toss to coat. Stir in the dill.

*Plantains*

Plantain (pronounced /ˈplæntɨn/ as in mountain;  also UK: /ˈplɑːntɨn/  or the rarer US: /plænˈteɪn/) is the common name for herbaceous plants of the genus Musa. The fruit they produce is generally used for cooking, in contrast to the soft, sweet banana (which is sometimes referred to as the dessert banana). There is no formal botanical distinction between bananas and plantains, and the use of either term is based purely on how the fruits are consumed.
Plantains tend to be firmer and lower in sugar content than dessert bananas. Bananas are almost always eaten raw, while plantains tend to be cooked or otherwise processed, and are used either when green or unripe (and therefore starchy) or overripe (and therefore sweet). Plantains are a staple food in the tropical regions of the world, treated in much the same way as potatoes and with a similar neutral flavour and texture when the unripe fruit is cooked by steaming, boiling or frying. Regions with plantain crops include the Southern United States, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Hawaii, the Caribbean, Central America, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Southern Brazil, the Canary Islands, the countries surrounding the Mediterranean Sea, Madeira, Egypt, Cameroon, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Uganda, Rwanda, Okinawa, Taiwan, Thailand, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, the Pacific Islands and northern Australia. Farmers grow plantains as far north as Northern California and as far south as KwaZulu-Natal.

*Fried Plantains*

*Plantain Soup*

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
• 1 carrot, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 celery rib, strings removed and finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 4 1/2 cups chicken broth, homemade or canned low-sodium broth, plus more if needed
• 2 green plantains, peeled and thinly sliced
• 1 cup fresh cilantro leaves, finely chopped, reserve some for garnish
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• Salt and fresh ground black pepper

Directions

Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat for 1 minute. Add the onions, carrots, celery, and garlic and cook until the onions are soft and browned, 8 minutes, stirring often with a wooden spoon. Add the chicken stock, plantains, cilantro, bay leaves and cumin, and bring to a boil, reduce the heat to the lowest setting and cook at a bare simmer, uncovered, until the plantains are very tender, 45 minutes.

Transfer half of the soup to a blender and puree until smooth. *When blending hot liquids, fill the blender less than halfway full, place the lid askew and pulse the liquid at first to release some heat, otherwise, your blender top could pop! Stir the pureed soup back into the pot with the remaining chunky soup and mix well. If the soup is too thick for your taste add more chicken stock. Season with salt and pepper and serve.
*When blending hot liquids: Remove liquid from the heat and allow to cool for at least 5 minutes.