When I was preserving cucumbers a few weeks ago, some of the vegetables were not suitable for pickling, mainly because of their size. So I had to put them away in the fridge and use them either in salads or cooking.

Here’s an example of what I did with the last one left. Cucumber patties are at their best right after taking them out of the pan, but they can also be eaten cold as a healthy nibble between meals.

I chose to top my patties with parenica (parenitza) cheese – one of the traditional Slovak cheeses documented in A Taste of Slovakia book. I’m planning to write a separate post about parenitza, as the cheese has a very special place in our diet – and culture.

Cucumber Patties with Parenitza Cheese

Serves 2

• 1 large cucumber (about 350 g)
• ½ cup oatflakes
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ground black pepper to taste
• 2 eggs
• a handful of green scallion tops, chopped
• 1 teaspoon red paprika
• oil for frying
• 50 g parenitza cheese (or other cheese of your choice) to top
• 2 medium tomatoes to garnish, sliced

Method:

1. Wash the cucumber and grate it roughly into a large bowl.
2. Rinse the oatflakes under running water and add to the grated cucumber. Stir in the salt and black pepper. Let stand for 20 – 30 minutes, or until the oatflakes have absorbed all the cucumber juices. In the meantime, wash the scallion tops and chop them. Rinse and slice the tomatoes.
3. Break the eggs into the oatflake mixture, throw in the green scallion tops, and add the paprika. Mix until well combined and put aside.
4. Heat the oil in a frying pan. Scoop a large tablespoon of the oatflake mixture into the hot oil, and pat it with the back of the spoon to form a small pancake (a patty). Depending on the size of your pan, you can do more patties in one go. Adjust the heat to medium-low and fry until the patties edges turn slightly brown.
5. Be gentle when turning them on the other side. The patties are soft and tender, so you will need two wooden spatulas to do so. Place one spatula under a patty, the other one on its top, and turn carefully. Fry until the patties are cooked through and crispy. Take them out on a plate covered with a kitchen towel, which will absorb the excess oil. Cover and keep warm. Repeat with another batch until you have used all the mixture.
6. Divide the patties between two serving plates and top with the cheese. Garnish with the sliced tomatoes and the remaining greens.