by Ethan Johnson
August 7, 2006

Yo, here's the memo: It's summer. And not just summer; this is the time when the frog realizes all too late that it has been sitting in a progressively heating pot, which has now reached the boiling point and cooked the fight out of him. You're welcome to that mental image. Well, being warm-blooded, we humans know when we're being boiled alive, which means that summer is effectively our winter. But without all of the warm comfort foods like stews, soups and chili. Heat-based cooking is a four-letter word around this house, when the AC just doesn't even try to keep up with the demands of the unforgiving Sun but manages to keep our electric bills high anyway. But beat the heat we can, and chill out we will with:

Mint and Chilli Cucumber Tapa

(Recipe adapted from Tapas: Delicious Snacks From Spain by Adrian Lissen and Sara Cleary.)

(Serves 2-4, make more to serve more)

1 cucumber, peeled, sprinkled with kosher salt, and a) grated and pressed through a sieve or strainer to remove excess moisture OR b) diced and left "as is", depending on YOUR preference (see recipe instructions for explanation)
1/2 can petite diced tomatoes OR 1 large tomato, diced, peeled, and seeded
1 clove minced garlic
1 handful of mint leaves, chopped
1 part plain yogurt
1 part sour cream
1 Tbsp ground cumin
2 red chillies, seeded, deveined, and chopped (example: Thai chillies, used in this demo)
Kosher salt and pepper to taste

Note: "1 part" means if you use 1/2 cup of one, then use 1/2 cup of the other. Scale accordingly. In this example, I used two heaping tablespoons of each, favoring the yogurt.

1. We begin by cutting the ends off of our chillies, cutting them lengthwise ONCE (as opposed to "in half"), and scraping out the seeds and veins. You will be left with just the skin, as pictured below.

   

2. Roll up the chilli skin, and slice, then chop the slices. Transfer the chopped chillies to a medium serving bowl.

   

3. Now for the cucumber prep. This step is going to be a bit wordy because the book recipe calls for a sort of "cucumber slush". Mar and I prefer more "bite" to our cucumbers, so the instructions for both outcomes are provided.

   

   For "slush":

   Peel the cucumber and grate it using the "big holes" side.

   

   Transfer the cucumber gratings to a sieve or strainer (the strainer is less fuss, in my estimation) and press the excess moisture out using a paper towel, or whatever you use to press things through a sieve.

   

   Add the cucumbers to the serving bowl. Proceed to the next numbered step.

   For diced cucumbers:

   Peel the cucumber and cut it in half lengthwise. Next, cut it into 2-3 strips as pictured below.

   

   Cut the cucumbers horizontally, and add them to the mixing bowl.

   

4. Note: From here on out, the photos will depict the "slushy" cucumbers. If you opted to dice the cucumbers, that's fine. Continue following the recipe as provided.

   Wash the mint leaves, pat them dry, and roll them up into tubes on the cutting board. Chop the mint similarly to how the chillies were chopped earlier.

   

5. Add the chopped mint to the bowl.

   

6. Peel the tomato, seed it, and blah blah blah explanation-cakes. OR, cheat like me and dump half of a can of petite diced tomatoes into a strainer, shake off the excess juice, and add to the bowl. Up to you.

   

7. Scoop and "dollop" the sour cream into the bowl.

   

8. Scoop and "dollop" an equal or slightly greater amount of yogurt into the bowl.

   

9. Add the ground cumin, kosher salt, and ground pepper to the bowl.

   

10. Stir the ingredients together until they are well-blended. Taste and adjust flavors as needed. Cover with cling wrap and chill in the refrigerator.

11. Serve the same day the tapa was prepared.

12. Mmmm!

Enjoy! Let me know how it turns out. <EM>