Philacatessen | Dana Feinberg’s Cucumber and Microgreens Salad

I had a dinner party recently, and a friend asked what she could bring. This can be a thorny question and must be considered carefully.

If the person is culinarily skilled and you trust him or her to help feed your guests, then great. If not, suggest they bring flowers for the table, packaged chocolates for dessert or sparkling water.

Wine can also be iffy; if the neighbor with the 500-bottle cellar offers to bring a cheeky little French red to go with your lamb, then by all means, say “Oui, merci!” But if your brother-in-law is likely to show up with a bottle homemade by his friend and aged for 3 hours in his garage, well, maybe not.

The good news for me was that my friend, Dana Feinberg, is beyond skilled in the kitchen. A true balabusta, mother of three, member of Society Hill Synagogue, project coordinator for South Street Headhouse District and keeper of a seriously gourmet kosher kitchen, I was fully confident that she would deliver an epic salad. I readily tasked her with it and promptly moved on to other matters.

I was right. She took her inspiration from Yotam Ottolenghi, but added some of her own flashes of creativity. Here’s her version:

Cucumber and Microgreens Salad

Dressing: 

• 1 tablespoon fresh-squeezed lemon juice
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 1-inch piece fresh ginger, grated finely
• 1 tablespoon plain yogurt
• Maldon or other flaky sea salt to taste

Salad:

• 5 baby cucumbers
• 2 cups microgreens (radish or sunflower)
• 1 bunch radishes, rinsed, trimmed and sliced thin
• ½ cup mint leaves, roughly chopped
• ½ cup cilantro leaves, roughly chopped
• 1 tablespoon black sesame seeds

Make the dressing: Whisk all the ingredients together and set aside (can be made up to 2 days ahead).

Quarter each cucumber lengthwise and cut each quarter into ½-inch slices.

Place the cucumbers into a large bowl with the radishes, microgreens and herbs.

Toss gently with sesame seeds, and top with the dressing. Toss again and serve immediately.