This may look or sound familiar to you, and that’s because it is. I called it rustic because it is more like a salad than my cacik-cucumber-yogurt-sauce and can be served as a side dish.
I make this with Persian cucumbers as they are thinner and crunchier. You can use English cucumbers or small cucumbers for this salad if you cannot find the Persian cucumbers. If you are using English cucumbers, I think you would need to use two of them to equal the amount of the Persian cucumbers used in this recipe, depending the size of the cucumber.
I like to add tahini to this, but you don’t have to; I personally like the nuttiness it adds to the salad. Fresh mint is also optional; if I have it, I’ll use it, but there is no need to go out and get it.
What you will need:
- 4-5 Persian cucumbers
- 5 heaping tbsp Balkan or 3% yogurt
- 1 tbsp tahini (optional)
- extra virgin olive oil
- salt to season
- 1 tsp dried mint
- 1 tbsp fresh mint (optional)
- 2 cloves of garlic (grated)
- 1/2 shallot
First roughly peel the cucumbers, then rinse and slice them and set aside. In a mixing bowl, add the yogurt, tahini, salt, dried mint, chopped fresh mint if using, grated garlic and diced shallot. Combine the sauce with the cucumbers and pour over a good drizzle of olive oil. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed. Combine well and serve.