Cucumber, zucchini + fennel with goat’s curd + dill

SERVES 6-8 PREP TIME: 20 MINUTES COOK TIME: NONE

150g goat’s curd

1 garlic clove, peeled

1 lemon

1 tbsp pickling liquid from pickled cucumbers (see below)

2 tbsp chopped dill

170ml light olive oil

Salt flakes

Freshly ground black pepper 3 Lebanese cucumbers, peeled 1 telegraph cucumber, peeled 2 Japanese climbing cucumbers 1 zucchini

2 yellow zucchini

1 baby fennel bulb, fronds reserved

QUICK PICKLED CUCUMBERS (MAKES 250g)

1 French shallot

1/3 cup white wine vinegar 2 tsp caster sugar

1 tsp salt flakes

1 Lebanese cucumber 1 tbsp fresh dill fronds

For the pickled cucumbers, peel the shallot and thinly slice using a mandoline or sharp knife. Separate the slices and soak them in a bowl of boiling water. Leave for 10 minutes then drain.

Combine the vinegar, sugar and salt in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool.

Cut the cucumber on the diagonal into 2mm thick slices and place in a bowl.

Pour the cooled vinegar mixture over the cucumber. Add the shallot rings and dill, and then set aside for 20 minutes before serving.

For the dressing, put the goat’s curd in a bowl. Use a microplane to finely grate the garlic clove and lemon zest into the bowl. Add the pickling liquid, chopped dill and 100ml of the oil. Season with salt and pepper and stir to combine.

Use a mandoline to thinly slice all the cucumbers and zucchini to a 2mm thickness. For each type of cucumber and zucchini, slice them in different shapes.

Cut the Lebanese cucumbers lengthways, the telegraph cucumber on a diagonal, and the Japanese cucumbers as rounds. Cut the green and yellow zucchini into long thin strips. Put the cucumber and zucchini in a large bowl and season with salt.

Mix the remaining oil with the juice of the lemon and pour over the cucumbers and zucchini. Toss everything well and then add the pickled cucumbers.

Use the mandoline to thinly slice the fennel bulb, add to the bowl and toss everything again.

Arrange the sliced vegetables on a serving platter and finish with the goat’s curd dressing. Garnish with a few fennel fronds.