in season
Cucumbers
Cucumbers have been cultivated for thousands of years
and must be one of the most popular items in
everyone’s shopping basket. This seems strange
when you strip it down, after all they have very
little nutritional value and are 96% water!
However they are a light, and refreshing
addition to any salad with a wonderful crunch.
In Southern Europe and the East they are
highly prized and will almost certainly be
served at every meal with plain yoghurt.
British cucumbers are normally available
from May through to September. Look
for firm, vibrantly coloured fruits and
store in a fridge for no more than a
week. If you can get your hands on
smaller varieties try pickling them
yourself or just simply steep them in
malt vinegar for an hour or two and
enjoy them in a sandwich with a bit of
leftover roast beef
GAZPACHO
Serves 4
- Place 2 slices of white crustless bread in a bowl with 60ml of water and 60ml of cold pressed olive oil and allow to soak.
- Chop roughly 1 cucumber, 1 red pepper, 1 onion, 8 ripe plum tomatoes, 1 clove of garlic, 1 mild green chilli and 6 large basil leaves, removing the seeds from the pepper and cucumber.
- Place all of the ingredients into a liquidiser and blend them thoroughly.
- Water, white wine vinegar and sugar may be added at this stage to correct the texture and acidity as vegetables vary in taste.
- Pass through a conical strainer, chill and serve in frozen bowls with an ice cube.
