A Summer Salad of Cucumber, Red Radish, Walnuts & Zucchini

This year as always, summer was a season of slow speed and long hours of play. Some familiar ideas, people, thoughts, even patterns of explanation reappeared. We familiarized ourselves once again with our skin by getting rid of all the winter layers. We cultivated the dolce far niente: doing sweet nothing, in an “easy does it” kind of way. Simplicity is also an art form, and when taken to its essence, it can create magic in the least amount of time. More narrowly, we did and continue to do that by making summer salads. Preparing a salad is like writing a poem. You can adapt it to any season, add any ingredients you like and play around with different textures. Each season, nature’s offerings allow us to be as creative as we want, the combinations are endless, but summer takes the crown when it comes to indulging in sun-drenched vegetables that retain their sweetness and authenticity. I put together this ice-cold, crunchy salad in Provence, France, where the temperatures soared to 37 degrees Celcius…Celebrate the on-going blessing of summer with this crispy medley of vegetables, rounded off with a simple lemon and olive oil vinaigrette. Enjoy and á bientót!

Serves 8

Essential: Mandolin & 2.5 kg ice cubes