Can’t-Take-It-off-the-Menu Cucumber Salad
Kismet Copyright © 2024 by Sara Kramer and Sarah Hymanson. Photographs copyright © 2024 by Chris Bernabeo. Published by Clarkson Potter, an imprint of Crown Publishing Group.
This salad’s enduring popularity on the Kismet menu proves, year after year, that cucumbers are universally loved. There are few fruits that won’t make a nice sidekick to bright, crisp cucumbers. If cherries aren’t in season, celebrate the fruit of the moment: We’ve cycled through mandarin oranges, melons, mulberries, and persimmons. As for rose water labneh, it’s the sauce you never knew you needed.
Good to know: Dried rose petals can be a little leathery. Stick them in a very low oven (200°F or less) for 10 to 15 minutes for a little extra drying. Once they’re completely cool, they should be crumbly.
We source our parsley seeds from garden supply stores. Celery seed will make a fine sub.
This recipe, and others like it, can be found in the article “This Is the Only Salmon You’ll Ever Need, Plus Other Dishes from L.A.’s Hottest Modern Middle Eastern Restaurant.”
How to Make It
1
Make the parsley seed za’atar: Preheat the oven to 300°F.
2
Spread the sesame seeds on a small baking sheet and toast for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from the oven and let cool. Lightly grind in a spice grinder or mortar and pestle to a sandy texture (not a fine powder).
3
In a small bowl, stir together the ground sesame seeds, dried rose petals, sumac, parsley seeds, and salt. Set aside.
4
Prepare the rose water labneh: In a small bowl, combine the labneh, lemon zest, rose water, grated garlic, salt, and black pepper and stir to distribute the ingredients thoroughly. Store in the fridge until ready to use.
5
Assemble the salad: In a medium bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil, and salt. Add the shaved cucumbers to the bowl and toss to coat.
6
Spread the rose water labneh on the bottom of a serving dish or bowl. Using your hands, arrange the cucumber slices into loose curls and set on top of the labneh.
7
Top with the cherries, followed by the za’atar and chervil.
Ingredients
Parsley Seed Za’atar
4 tsp sesame seeds
1 tbsp dried rose petals, crumbled
1 tsp sumac
½ tsp parsley seeds
⅛ tsp kosher salt
Rose Water Labneh
1 cup labneh, store-bought or homemade
grated zest of 1/4 lemon
1 tsp rose water
½ garlic clove, grated on a microplane
¼ tsp kosher salt
pinch of ground black pepper
Salad
2 tbsp lemon juice (about 1 lemon)
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp kosher salt
5 Persian (mini) cucumbers, shaved lengthwise on a mandoline into 1/8-inch- thick slabs
2 cups cherries, pitted and halved
¼ cup chervil, mint, or parsley leaves
Directions
1
Make the parsley seed za’atar: Preheat the oven to 300°F.
2
Spread the sesame seeds on a small baking sheet and toast for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from the oven and let cool. Lightly grind in a spice grinder or mortar and pestle to a sandy texture (not a fine powder).
3
In a small bowl, stir together the ground sesame seeds, dried rose petals, sumac, parsley seeds, and salt. Set aside.
4
Prepare the rose water labneh: In a small bowl, combine the labneh, lemon zest, rose water, grated garlic, salt, and black pepper and stir to distribute the ingredients thoroughly. Store in the fridge until ready to use.
5
Assemble the salad: In a medium bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil, and salt. Add the shaved cucumbers to the bowl and toss to coat.
6
Spread the rose water labneh on the bottom of a serving dish or bowl. Using your hands, arrange the cucumber slices into loose curls and set on top of the labneh.
7
Top with the cherries, followed by the za’atar and chervil.
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