Photo: Linda Robertson
A lovely lazy side dish, this versatile salad is one that I would eat with pretty much everything. It takes just a few minutes to put together, plus soaking time, and manages to be invigorating as well as comforting.
The cucumber loses a little of its crispy crunch because of its gin soak, but the flavour it adds is irresistible.
I’ve experimented a little and the lemon juice is very necessary in the pickling mixture as it softens the gin’s bite.
There is something arresting about the deep creamy chickpeas, dark red cranberries, and the bright green of spring onion.
Serves 4-5
Ingredients
3 Tbsp gin
2 Tbsp lemon juice
2 tsp caster sugar
½ tsp salt
1 telegraph cucumber, about 300g
1 x 400g can chickpeas
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
½ cup dried cranberries, chopped
¼ cup crystalised ginger, finely chopped
½ cup flaked almonds
1 cup spring onions thinly sliced crossways
Fresh herbs to garnish
Method
Place the gin, lemon juice and caster sugar in a small bowl and stir until well mixed and the sugar has dissolved, set aside.
Peel the cucumber, cut in half lengthways and scoop out the seeds with a teaspoon. Thinly slice the cucumber into half rounds. Sliced cucumber if left to stand will shed a lot of water. It makes sense to discard this if you plan to soak the cucumber in other liquids.
Place a colander on a plate, tip into it the sliced cucumber, sprinkle evenly with salt, stir and leave to drain for about an hour. Drain well and pat dry with paper towels. Set aside. Tip the chickpeas into a sieve, rinse well with cold water. Drain and pat dry with paper towels. This helps to ensure both the chickpeas and cucumber will absorb the pickling mixture.
In a large bowl combine the sliced cucumber and chickpeas. Pour the gin and lemon pickling liquid over and stir well. Cover and place in the fridge for about an hour to pickle. Stir every 15 minutes or so.
If convenient this can be left in the fridge for several hours.
Shortly before serving add the olive oil and stir, then add cranberries, ginger, almonds, and spring onions. Mix together gently and tip on to a salad platter. Garnish with fresh herbs.
