I had a bunch of cucumbers to use up and a lot of tarragon from my tarragon bush. So I looked up cucumber and tarragon recipes. I’ve found Justin Chapple’s recipe from Food & Wine Magazine for Smashed cucumber with butterbeans and tarragon. Smashing the cucumber add more cracks so the cucumber can be more flavorful. I tried to smash mine but wasn’t successful. My cucumbers were too firm or I wasn’t strong enough???? I didn’t really set off to change Mr. Chapple’s recipe but as I went along I got many different ideas and added a few things. I also wanted to make the recipe lighter. I cut the ratio of oil and used far less beans. Maybe it is far to say that this is my adaptation of Justin Chapple’s recipe? Portion size is difficult to judge. I don’t know if you want a small side or a big dish.

Ingredients for around 10 servings

4 lbs Persian cucumbers – cut in chunks (I cut mine long ways in half and made thick slices)

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/2 cup champagne vinegar

1/2 cup sherry vinegar

1 red onion – diced

3 cloves garlic – ground to paste

4 Tablespoons dijon mustard

1 – 15oz. can butterbeans – drained and rinsed three times

1/2 cup tarragon

1 Tablespoon sea salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 teaspoon piment d espelette

sea salt to taste

ground black pepper to taste

Directions

In a large bowl combine the cucumber, onion, butter beans and tarragon and mix well.

In a small bowl combine and emulsify the oil, garlic, dijon, vinegars, salt, black pepper.

Add small bowl’s dressing to large bowl and stir or toss gently.

Adjust seasonings to your liking.

Finish with some piment d espelette.

A Special THANKS to Justin Chapple and Food & Wine Magazine to inspire me to come up with this salad.

Here’s another ways to enjoy leeks. Most of the leeks are braised and around a quarter of them are fried crisp as a topping tossed with parmesan, lemon zest and crushed toasted pine nuts……It can’t help to be anything but delicious. I found some great new cheeses at my local Safeway. They sell one called Italiano that is an American made cheese that tasted like taleggio and they also are selling a crescenza stracchino cheese that is very good. I thought the stracchino would go very well with the leeks so this is a sort of twist on a leek au gratin recipe. I do fine that leeks differ greatly on size so servings will differ. Also sometimes you just want a little side and sometimes you want more. I think two leeks will make around 4 servings. This dish would also be delicious served over toasted bread, pasta or a potato. If I was about to re-do the recipe I would have cut the leeks into coin shapes because the leeks would be easier to eat that way….(but I did leek coins last week and didn’t want to repeat the same shape)

Ingredients for around 4 portions

2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 leeks – root end removed, thought greens removed, cleaned well……You can cut them in any shape that you feel like. Coins or little planks would be best…..Save about 1/5 of the leeks for frying crisp…(use the leeks that don’t hold their shape as well to fry)

1 teaspoon fresh thyme

1 lemon zest and 1/2 the lemon (you can use 1/2 of what you already zested) to braise with the leeks

1/4 cup water (maybe a little more depending on size of your leeks…(mine where very small)

sea salt to taste

fresh ground black pepper to taste

1/2 cup parmesan cheese – shredded

3 Tablespoons roasted pinenuts

non stick spray

canola oil for frying leek crisps

8 oz stracchino cheese

optional – 1 dried Calabrian chili – crushed over the top

Directions

Fill a fry pan about half an inch high with canola oil on between medium and medium high heat. When oil is hot add around 1/5th of the leeks for frying crisp. Fry the leeks up till crisp. (timing will differ…mine took 7 minutes) Use a draining rack or a sheet lined with paper towels for draining. Set to the side.

Set oven to 400 degrees F.

Add oil to fry pan and put on medium high heat.Add leeks cut side down. Sprinkle to taste with salt and pepper. Cook till lightly brown on the bottom (about three minutes). Add thyme, 1/2 lemon cut side down, 1/4 cup water and cover. Lower heat to simmer. Cook about 10 minutes.

Spray casserole dish with non stick spray.

Add the leeks and stracchino cheese cut into chunks over the leeks.

Put in oven till hot (10-15 minutes)

Mix together the lemon zest, parmesan, crushed pine nuts and the crispy leeks for topping the cheesy leeks. Add the optional crushed Calabrian chili if desired or add black pepper to taste. (I don’t think this dish needs anymore salt but you can add some if you like)

Enjoy!