CCFM Summer Recipes

red plum & white cucumber salad

W/ THAI & OPAL BASIL

this refreshing salad will pair with all kinds of interesting things. a piece of seared tuna or hamachi alongside would go beautifully as an appetizer or light first course (for fun, serve with chop sticks). or even serve with slices of Bellwether Farms “Carmody” cheese as a light cheese course. and of course, this salad will stand up tall all by itself.

FEEDS 4

· 4 red plums*, ripe but not mushy, washed

· 4 white cucumbers*, washed

· 1 large shallot, peeled, ends trimmed

· ¼ cup red wine vinegar

· 4 sprigs opal basil leaves, about ¼ cup packed leaves

· 4 sprigs thai basil, about 2 tbl. packed leaves

· ¼ cup Bariani extra virgin olive oil

· sea salt & fresh ground black pepper

1. pick basil leaves from the stems, set aside. bruise basil stems with the back of a knife, place in a medium mixing bowl

2. set your mandolin slicer to 1/8 inch thickness or slice with a sharp chef’s knife. slice plums parallel with the natural crease that you can feel along the meridian of the fruit. slice until you reach the pit, then turn over and repeat. reserve left over fruit.

3. slice cucumbers perpendicular to the poles of the fruit, making pinwheels.

4. slice shallots, making rings. place shallots in mixing bowl with the basil stems. add vinegar, a good pinch of salt and a few grinds of black pepper. toss lightly and let sit for 5 minutes.

5. trim remaining flesh off of plum pits and slice thinly. take a handful of smaller end-slices of cucumber and cut in half forming half moon pieces.

6. drain almost all the vinegar from mixing bowl. lightly toss cucumber with shallot-vinegar mixture.

7. alternating, place slices of plum and dressed cucumber on plate in desired pattern, leaving shallots in the bowl. repeat with remaining plates.

8. when all plates are arranged, toss remaining half-moon slices of cucumber and plum in with shallots and 2 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil. taste. adjust seasoning with salt, pepper, and vinegar. discard basil stems. place equal piles of dressed salad on the four plate amidst the arranged slices.

9. stack opal basil leaves (don’t roll them up!) and slice into chiffonade with chef’s knife. scatter over arranged slices along with the picked thai basil leaves.

10. finish with a drizzle of olive oil and a light sprinkling of sea salt.

NOTES*

· white cucumbers are similar to the more common lemon cucumbers. however, they have smaller and fewer seeds and don’t grow quite as big.

· the plums called for in this recipe should have a good amount of sweetness and a distinct tartness in the skin, varieties recommended are “santa rosa” and “royal diamond” both with deep purple skin and rosy to yellow flesh.