French women consume over ten pounds of cucumbers a year, mostly in summer months. Julie, an adopted Provençale friend with Lebanese roots, loves anything cucumber and came up with this simple and delicious concoction.
Ingredients
2 cups of cucumber
2 red peppers
2 tablespoons olive oil
Juice of a lemon
Salt and freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons basil, minced
4 teaspoons of fresh goat cheese
1 tablespoon chives, minced
Yield: 4 servings
Recipe
Wash the cucumber, split in half and remove seeds. Do not peel. Cut into small cubes. Slice off wider end of the peppers, open, remove seeds and cut into 1/2 inch slices. Steam until tender, about 8 minutes. Let cool. (This is better done ahead of time and refrigerated). Slice in small pieces. When ready to serve, put about 1/4 cup of cucumber at the bottom of your verrine and follow with a layer of pepper and then add the rest of the cucumber. Mix the oil and lemon juice and season to taste. Pour the dressing over the veggies. Mix the goat cheese with the chives and top each verrine with the cheese mixture. Serve with a little espresso spoon.