How do I prepare the cucumbers?

Peel the cucumbers, split them lengthwise, and remove the seeds. Fill one half with meat farce and lay the other half on top as a lid.

Why are the cucumbers wrapped in cloth and pork?

The pork wrapped around the cucumber adds fat and flavor, and the thin piece of cloth holds the two halves together so the filling doesn't fall out during steaming. Both the cloth and the pork are removed before serving.

How are they cooked and served?

The cucumbers are placed in a dish and steamed tender under a lid in a hot oven (allow around 75 minutes total). Then cut them crosswise into pieces about 4 cm tall and serve with brown sauce, or use them as a garnish for meat dishes.

Where does the recipe come from?

From Henriette Schønberg Erken's "Stor kokebok" (1914), p. 399, where it is called concombres farcis.

Stuffed Cucumbers I (concombres farcis)

Name: Stuffed Cucumbers I (concombres farcis)
Prep time: 35 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 1 h 15 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Norwegian
Ingredients: 2 pcs cucumbers (firm, not too large); 400 g meat farce (seasoned to taste); 150 g streaky pork or bacon (in thin slices); 4 dl brown sauce (for serving)

Erken 1914: cucumbers are peeled, halved, filled with a meat farce, wrapped in pork fat and cloth, steamed tender in the oven, and cut into pieces. Served with brown sauce or as a garnish.

Source: Henriette Schønberg Erken, Stor kokebok, 1914-utg. s. 399 (falt i det fri)

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About the dish

From the chapter "Root Vegetables and Greens" in Henriette Schønberg Erken's "Stor kokebok" (1914). Stuffed cucumbers were a French-inspired decorative vegetable used both as a dish in its own right and as a garnish for meat dishes.

How to make it

1
Prepare the cucumbers
Peel the cucumbers, split them lengthwise, and scrape out the seeds.
2
Fill
Fill one half with meat farce and lay the other half on top as a lid.
3
Wrap up
Wrap the cucumbers in thin slices of pork fat and tie them up in a thin cloth.
4
Steam
Place them in a dish, cover with a lid, and steam them tender in a hot oven (about 180 °C (355 °F)) for roughly 40 minutes.
5
Serve
Remove the cloth and pork, cut the cucumbers crosswise into 4 cm tall pieces, and serve with brown sauce, or use them as a garnish for meat dishes.

Changes from the original

The original gives no quantities for cucumber, farce, and pork; estimated amounts have been added for one serving for 4. The method has been broken into steps and the language modernized. "Flesk" is interpreted as thin slices of bacon/streaky pork.

Time machine – what changed?

Pick two editions and see what Henriette Schønberg Erken added, removed or changed between them.

From1914 1949 Modernised

To1914 1949 Modernised

1949 (proofread, p. 440) → Modernised~86% of the text changedremovedadded

~~(Concombres farcis.) Agurker~~ 2 stk agurker (faste, ikke for store). 400 g kjøttfarse ~~50 gr. smør salt saus. Agurkene skrelles, flek kes, kjernene uttas. Den~~ (krydret etter smak). 150 g sideflesk eller bacon (i tynne skiver). 4 dl brun saus (til servering). Skrell agurkene, del dem på langs og skrap ut kjernene.. Fyll den ene ~~halvdel av agurken fylles~~ halvdelen med ~~farse,~~ kjøttfarse og legg den ~~annen halvdel legges over. Agurkene om vikles med et stykke flesk, bindes~~ andre halvdelen over som lokk.. Surr agurkene inn i tynne fleskeskiver og bind dem inn i et ~~stykke~~ tynt ~~tøi. Legges~~ klede.. Legg dem i ~~form~~ en form, dekk med lokk og ~~dam pes~~ damp dem møre ~~under lokk~~ i varm ~~ovn. Tøi~~ ovn (ca. 180 °C) i omtrent 40 minutter.. Fjern klede og ~~flesk fjernes,~~ flesk, skjær agurkene ~~skjæres tversover~~ i 4 ~~cm. høie stykker. Serveres~~ cm høye stykker på tvers og server med brun ~~saus~~ saus, eller ~~brukes~~ bruk dem som garnityr ~~på forskjellige~~ til kjøttretter.

Note on Modernised

Originalen oppgir ingen mengder for agurk, farse og flesk; anslåtte mengder er lagt til for en porsjon til 4. Fremgangsmåten er delt i trinn og språket modernisert. «Flesk» er tolket som tynne skiver bacon/sideflesk.

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Frequently asked questions

How do I prepare the cucumbers?: Peel the cucumbers, split them lengthwise, and remove the seeds. Fill one half with meat farce and lay the other half on top as a lid.
Why are the cucumbers wrapped in cloth and pork?: The pork wrapped around the cucumber adds fat and flavor, and the thin piece of cloth holds the two halves together so the filling doesn't fall out during steaming. Both the cloth and the pork are removed before serving.
How are they cooked and served?: The cucumbers are placed in a dish and steamed tender under a lid in a hot oven (allow around 75 minutes total). Then cut them crosswise into pieces about 4 cm tall and serve with brown sauce, or use them as a garnish for meat dishes.
Where does the recipe come from?: From Henriette Schønberg Erken's "Stor kokebok" (1914), p. 399, where it is called concombres farcis.

Equipment for this dish

Meat grinder →Erken ground her own forcemeat – your own grinder lets you control fat and coarseness.Foodstuff.no

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