cucumber salad with garlic and mint

Cucumber is fresh and crunchy, the perfect accompaniment to roast meat or grilled fish; it also belongs stuffed in a lamb kebab. I am attracted to recipes like this one because I adore the thriftiness of mundane vegetables such as cucumber. (I find myself gravitating towards all the dull vegetables: carrots, cucumber, and broccoli, for example. I like to think they can be exciting, too. Psychology, anyone?)

I originally made this dead simple garlicky side dish for last month's Forever Nigella, a blog event that celebrates Nigella Lawson's recipes. The theme in May was Salad Days, hosted by Dom from Belleau Kitchen, which, by the way, is a beautiful blog. (Dom is always cheerful and full of good ideas. He's one of my Fresh from the Oven cronies.) May came and went, though, but this recipe is too good to put back on the shelf. It's easy, tasty, and makes the humble cucumber more-ish. (You know, you want more and more; it's more-ish.)

Cucumber Salad with Garlic and Mint
adapted from Forever Summer by Nigella Lawson
serves 4 as a side dish or kebab-stuffer

1 long cucumber
1 t salt
leaves from 1 handful of fresh mint, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 T plain yogurt

Grate the cucumber into a colander and leave it to drain while you prepare the rest of the meal, or squeeze out the water straight away.
Just before eating, mix the cucumber in a bowl with the other ingredients.