Cucumber Sandwiches

September 21, 2018

On a recent Friday in September, I attended a celebration of the life of Tina Norris, my former Isle of Hope across-the-street neighbor. Tina had lived a rich 95 years being embraced by family and the community and church she loved. She was known for her kindness, sincerity and faith ... and for her cucumber sandwiches.

Cucumber sandwiches are something of a cult classic in the South, along with boiled peanuts, roasted oysters, grits, and collard greens. At the service, it was revealed that Tina was very specific about how she prepared her cucumber sandwiches, so I cornered one of the reception hostesses to get the specifics. Turns out that Tina liked her cucumber sandwiches prepared the same way as does good cook Jane Wells, who has served them for years at her Kentucky Derby parties. A small amount of onion is grated with a cucumber and mixed with cream cheese. Both ladies add one drop of green food coloring to the mix, but honestly, I liked the color – a pale green – before I added the food coloring. And one more thing – Tina always used the thin white Pepperidge Farm bread when making her cucumber sandwiches. She usually made rounds, but I’m lazy and so opted for triangles.

Cucumber sandwiches are perfect served with best friends pimiento cheese and sliced tomato sandwiches at an afternoon function. A bowl of salted nuts and some good punch are all you need to round out the event. Since all the food is cold, this combination is particularly appreciated on a scorching hot September Savannah day. Thank you, Tina, for your friendship and hospitality.

Makes enough filling for about 25 sandwiches.

Peel the cucumber, slice lengthwise, and take a small spoon to scrape out the seeds. Place the cucumber in a food processor and use the “pulse” key to process until the cucumber is minced. Place the cucumber and the liquid that accumulates in a medium mixing bowl.

Place the onion in the food processor and pulse until it is finely chopped. Add the onion to the cucumber. Stir in the cream cheese, seasoned salt, hot sauce, and food coloring, if using.

With a cookie cutter, cut rounds out of the bread. Spread one side of each round with mayonnaise.

Place a small amount of cucumber mixture on one round and top with a second round. Press lightly. Do not overfill, or filling will run out of sandwiches. I often put the filling in the refrigerator while I am preparing the rounds to let it firm up slightly. Don’t let it harden completely, or it will tear the bread when you are trying to spread it. You can also cut the bread into triangles (remove crusts). Sandwiches will keep well in an airtight container for at least 48 hours. Use waxed paper between layers of sandwiches.