Two Cucumber and Cheese Salads

These salads are just right for serving with summer's easy fare.

From The Food Life: Inside the World of Food with the Grocer Extraordinaire at Fairway by Steven Jenkins (Ecco, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers). Copyright 2008 by Steven Jenkins.

Serves 4

These are so refreshing and so good to serve with a simple meal (toasted bagels, cream cheese, and smoked salmon, for instance; or turkey sandwiches; or burgers). Or just grab a baguette and sit down to a big plate of cucumbers and cheese and call it lunch. The cheese is the star ingredient here, so consult your cheesemonger and get something nice.

Cucumber and Feta Salad

• 1 hothouse cucumber (also known as an English cucumber), peeled to create stripes on the outside and sliced into rounds
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (the best quality you can find)
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1/4 red onion, very thinly sliced (on a mandoline if available)
• 3/4 pound feta cheese, cubed
• Kosher or sea salt, optional
• 2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley

1. In a medium bowl, toss the cucumber with the olive oil and season with pepper. Add the onion and toss again.

2. Add the cubed feta and toss gently, taking care not to break the cubes of cheese. Taste and season with salt if desired (this will depend on the saltiness of the feta).

3. I always want to add a teaspoonful of red wine vinegar here, but my wife disagrees, so…garnish with the parsley and serve.

Cucumber and Chévre Salad

• 1 hothouse cucumber (also known as an English cucumber), peeled to create stripes on the outside and sliced into rounds
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• Kosher or sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 6 ounces semi-aged chèvre log (such as a Sainte-Maure), sliced into rounds
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (the best quality you can find)
• 1 tablespoon chopped chives, for garnish

1. In a shallow serving bowl, lightly toss the sliced cucumber with the lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper.

2. Lay slices of chévre on top of the cucumber slices and drizzle with olive oil. Garnish with the chives.

Chef's Note: If you're worried about your cucumbers getting soggy - let's say you're preparing this dish for a buffet, and it won't be consumed right away - you might want to use this technique for crisping them before adding them to your salad. Arrange the cucumber slices in a colander placed inside a bowl. Sprinkle with salt, cover with ice cubes, and refrigerate for 1 hour. Pat dry and use. Remember to reduce or eliminate the salt in your recipe if you use this technique.

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