Cucumber, plum and Gorgonzola salad

SERVES 4

“This salad came about because I love dill pickles,” says Menashe. “The celery, dill and turmeric are a play on classic pickling spices, and the Gorgonzola has the same effect as the blue cheese dip that sometimes accompanies Southern-fried pickles. In summertime, the markets here have a huge variety of cucumbers, and we use a mix of different kinds to add complexity to the salad.”

1 corn cob, husk and silks removed

2 thin-skinned cucumbers such as Persian or Lebanese, halved lengthways and sliced into half-moons about 5mm thick

60 gm purslane leaves (see note)

1 cup (firmly packed) watercress, tough stems removed

1 ripe plum, halved, pitted and cut into 16 thin wedges

2 tbsp crème fraîche, at room temperature

30 gm Gorgonzola, preferably Gorgonzola dolcelatte, frozen for at least 3 hours Celery leaves and small dill sprigs, to serve

Pinch of dill or fennel pollen (optional), to serve TURMERIC VINAIGRETTE

2 tbsp lemon juice 2 tbsp Champagne vinegar

1 tbsp calamansi vinegar

(see note) 1 tsp minced golden shallot

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground turmeric

1/2 tsp grated fresh turmeric, or 1/2 tsp plus

1/8 tsp ground turmeric 125 ml (1/2 cup) extra-virgin olive oil

1 Preheat a cast-iron frying pan or a barbecue to high heat. Place corn directly on pan and sear, turning as needed, until evenly charred on all sides (7-8 minutes). Transfer to a cutting board and let sit until cool enough to handle, then slice off the kernels with a knife. 2 For turmeric vinaigrette, combine lemon juice, vinegars and shallot in a bowl and set aside for 10 minutes. Add salt and ground and fresh turmeric, then slowly drizzle in olive oil, while whisking, until emulsified. 3 In a large bowl, toss cucumber, corn kernels and purslane by hand to combine. Add 2 tbsp vinaigrette, season to taste and toss to coat.

4 In a separate large bowl, lightly dress the watercress with remaining 1 tbsp vinaigrette. Season to taste and toss well. 5 Pile the cucumber salad into a large shallow serving bowl or on a platter and top it with dressed watercress. Season plum with salt flakes and arrange on top of the salad. Whisk crème fraîche with a fork a little to loosen the consistency, then drizzle on top. Grate the frozen Gorgonzola over the salad and top with celery leaves, dill and dill or fennel pollen, and serve.

Note Purslane is available from select greengrocers. Calamansi vinegar is available from select delicatessens; if it’s unavailable, simmer the juice of 1 lemon and 1 orange (about 100ml total) in a saucepan over high heat until reduced by half (5 minutes). Add to vinaigrette to taste.

This extract from Bestia: Italian Recipes Created in the Heartof L.A. by Ori Menashe, Genevieve Gergis and Lesley Suter with photography by Nicole Franzen (published by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of Penguin Random House, $59.99, hbk) has been reproduced with minor style changes.