Cucumber Sandwiches | Hilda

          Hilda the animated series, based on Luke Pearson's all-ages graphic novel series published through Flying Eye Books, premiered on Netflix September 21, 2018. It is fantastic show with Scandinavian influences in folkloric content and setting/color pallet, with fun storylines and great characters. The main character Hilda often goes adventuring (exploring and adventuring is her thing) and her mom makes sure she has sandwiches packed in her satchel, along with peppermint tea.

"I get it, you've got a badge to earn. Well, here are some cucumber sandwiches. I made enough for everyone."

"My favorite. Thanks, Mum!"

–Hilda, S1Ep4, "The Sparrow Scouts"

          I thought it was really neat that in the animated series the sandwiches were specifically mentioned as cucumber (in the comics the sandwiches exist, but it's not said what kind they are) and that they are Hilda's favorite. I wanted to take this idea and combine it with the setting and storyline, and came up with these pressed sandwiches (easy for grabbing and going) filled with Scandinavian cucumber salad. :)

* You can hear more about Hilda and the foods in the comics and TV series in this episode of Fiction Kitchen Podcast! *

Hilda's Cucumber Adventure Sandwiches

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(Makes ~4 sandwiches)
Ingredients:
~170g. Thinly Sliced English Cucumber (~1 heaped Cup)
1 tsp. Salt
2 tsp. Lemon Juice
1/2 tsp. White Granulated Sugar
1 Tbsp. Minced Onion
1 Tbsp. Minced Fresh Dill
Pinch Ground Black Pepper
1-2 Tbsp. Sour Cream or Plain Greek Yogurt (optional)
8 Slices Square, Soft Bread, crusts removed
Cream Cheese

Directions:
In a medium bowl, toss the cucumber slices with the salt. Weight the cucumbers down with a small plate with canned goods on top. Let sit for about an hour.
Drain the resulting liquid, rinse & squeeze the cucumbers, & then pat dry with paper towels.

Wipe out the bowl & return the cucumber to it. Add in the lemon juice, sugar, dill, onion, & pepper, plus the optional cream or yogurt if you’d like. Toss everything together & adjust amounts to your taste.

Using a small rolling pin, flatten the crust-less bread slices, & then spread 1 side of each slice with cream cheese, leaving 1/4” of space around the edges.

Put 1/4 (loose) cup of cucumber mixture, squeezed, into the center of 4 of the bread slices. Spread it out to cover the cream cheese. Place the other bread slices on top & press around the edges with your fingers to close. Use a fork to press around the edges again, ~1\4” in, to seal well.

Eat immediately or soon, as the bread will eventually get soggy (the cream cheese creates a barrier, but won’t keep the liquid from the cucumbers at bay forever). Serve with a thermos of peppermint tea (cold or hot).