Here’s a quick and easy side dish for those hot summer days when you don’t really feel like cooking. If you have access to local produce, so much the better! You can do the only hot step, blanching the beans, in the morning when it’s still cool. Pop them in the fridge, and finish assembly right before serving. You could also make the whole thing ahead of time if you like, but I think the beans retain their color better if the dressing goes on at the last minute. Purely a matter of personal preference, of course; sometimes the convenience is well worth sacrificing a bit of pretty! I’ve used Persian Lime olive oil and Gravenstein white balsamic. If you don’t have those, just use good quality plain EVOO, white balsamic vinegar, and maybe add a dash of lime juice.

Ingredients:

1 cucumber

a handful of green beans (approximately 1 cup trimmed/4 ounces/115 grams)

¼ cup (about 2 oz/58g)chopped sweet onion

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

⅛ teaspoon salt

⅛ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preparation:

1.) Wash and trim the beans, and cut or snap them into bite-size pieces. I prefer to steam them, just a half-inch (1 cm) water in the pan and the beans in a steamer basket, for about two minutes. You can boil them if you prefer, but I think steaming retains more of the nutrients. Either way, cook just until hot. The salad is best if the beans are still a bit crunchy.

2.) While the beans cook, prepare an ice water bath. If you have a big enough bowl, you can dump the whole steamer basket in, which you then also use to drain the beans after they’ve cooled. Fewer dishes to wash!

3.) While the beans have their ice bath, peel and slice the cucumber and place in a medium bowl. In a separate small bowl, whisk together the oil, balsamic, salt, and pepper.

4.) Add the onions and the cooled beans to the cucumber bowl, then drizzle the dressing over all and stir gently to combine.