Mizeria salad with nutmeg

A friend once called this recipe ‘the gateway recipe’ into my cookbooks. It is incredibly easy to assemble, and is both familiar and new. It used to be made by peasants in Ukraine and Poland, and the rich landowners haughtily called it mizeria (‘misery’). But they were oh so wrong, as this salad brings nothing but joy.

This makes a wonderfully refreshing accompaniment to roast or grilled meats, or serve it with a selection of other vegetable dishes.

• 250g cucumbers (about 2 medium-sized ones), thinly sliced

• 70ml yoghurt

• A generous grating of nutmeg sea salt and black pepper

put the yoghurt into a large bowl and season it very well with salt, remembering that the watery cucumber will dilute the seasoning. grate in the nutmeg and add some black pepper too, if you like.

Add the cucumber and mix well. This may be served straight away, but it can also be made a few hours in advance.

This recipes was taken from Summer Kitchens