Cucumber & Smashed Garlic

With our almost Spring like weather during the day, I've been slowly introducing more Summery foods into the diet in the hopes that the weather should stick around. At our visit to Spice Temple several months ago, Christie recommended me a recipe for Neil Perry's Cucumber with smashed garlic. I'd meant to make these for months and it wasn't until I made another batch of the cucumber pickles that I was reminded of these. They're easy and fantastically healthy and the perfect cooling side dish or precursor to a Chinese meal.

She pointed me to the Gourmet Traveller website where they featured a few of Perry's recipes and the best pasrt? The time taken to make these is negligible and most of it is in waiting for it to drain. I loved the cleansing sensation of cucumber and the garlic lends a richer tone to it. It was gobbled up in no time by Mr NQN. I had intended to keep some in a jar to pick at for a healthy snack but he liked it so much that late one night I opened the fridge to snack on some to find the empty container in the fridge. Yes he had stuck the empty container back in the fridge. Luckily for him it was his birthday so I couldn't get mad at him and he probably knew it.

So tell me Dear Reader, what's your flatmate's/husband's/wife's worst habit?

Cucumber with Smashed Garlic

Serves 4

Cooking Time Prep time 10 mins (plus 1 hour standing)

• 4 Lebanese cucumbers, halved lengthways, seeds removed plus 2 teaspoons of salt

• 2 garlic cloves, smashed in a mortar and pestle

• 7 gm  (1½ cm) piece of ginger, cut into julienne

• 1½ tbsp rice wine vinegar

• 1 tbsp caster sugar

• 1 tbsp sesame oil or 1 sesame seeds

Step 1 - Coarsely chop cucumber into rough 4cm lengths, and combine in a non-reactive bowl with 2 teaspoons of sea salt, tossing to coat. Stand for 1 hour, then drain. Combine with garlic and ginger and set aside.

Step 2 - Combine vinegar, sugar and oil in a small bowl, drizzle over cucumber mixture, stir to combine and stand for 10 minutes to allow flavours to combine. Serve as a condiment.