Thai Cucumber Salad with Lemon Grass

You wouldn't know it from the weather around here, but the calendar tells me it's getting mighty close to summer.

Where we should be having warm, sunny days, beginning with morning fog and ending with the calm serenity of a summer night, we're instead alternating between clouds, cold, and wind.

And oh!  How the wind has been blowing!  Word on the street (or harbor, as it may be) is that in May, our fair Island can usually expect one "gale force" wind warning during the month.  Yet, with still five days to go, we've already had four days of gale force winds.  And for those of us who commute to the mainland from time to time, gale force winds mean cancelled plans and rolling seas.  If you're lucky (or unlucky!) enough to catch a boat that's running during a period of rough seas, you'll be accompanied by more than a few poor souls clutching their plastic bags or clinging to the top-deck railings, trying-- sometimes fruitlessly-- not to get sick.

Despite summer weather being MIA in these parts, apparently it's behaving appropriately somewhere in California, since I've been getting loads of great produce-- most of it from the surrounding region.

I recently picked up some very nice cucumbers and made one of my favorite warm-wether salads.  I figured that if it's not actually going to be warm, I'm at least going to start eating all the foods I wait so patiently for each spring and summer.

For this week's Tuesday Supper, I made a Thai Cucumber and Lemon Grass Salad.  Slightly sweet, slightly spicy, and very refreshing.  I get awfully tired of green salads of lettuce and pasta salads with all the usual accompaniments.  So when cucumbers hit the market, I love to make this delicious salad.

The spiciness comes from the jalapeño in it.  You can control how spicy your salad is by removing the veins and seeds of the jalapeño and adjusting the amount used.  Additionally, a larger, plumper pepper is likely to be less spicy than a smaller, compact, dark green one.  

This recipe is a modified version of one I found in a Whole Foods Market Cookbook I purchased years ago.  

Thai Cucumber Salad with Lemon Grass

Salad:

2 lb. cucumbers, peeled and thinly sliced

3 large scallions, white and green parts, chopped

1 medium jalapeño, finely chopped

1/4 cup cilantro, finely chopped

2 stalks thinly sliced lemon grass, whites only

1/2 cup roasted peanuts, whole or coarsely chopped

Dressing:

1/2 cup rice vinegar

1/2 tsp. toasted sesame seed oil

2 Tbs. honey

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 tsp. curry powder

1/2 tsp. salt

Prepare the dressing first, by combining all of the ingredients in a small bowl or measuring cup.  Whisk to blend well and dissolve the honey.  Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the first four salad ingredients, keeping the peanuts aside for now.  Pour the dressing over the salad and stir to coat thoroughly.  Let the salad marinate in the dressing for about an hour in the refrigerator.  Ten minutes prior to serving, remove the salad and let stand at room temperature.  Sprinkle the peanuts over the top and serve.