Summer pickles

I've been getting some amazing cucumbers from farmers' markets and my CSA share. I'm putting them in everything, and still they keep coming. I just turned some into a quick and easy pickle.

I sliced the cucumbers very thin -- not as thin as they'd be on a mandoline, but I'm not allowed to have one of those. (I'm the type who tends to shred my hands when I play with sharp kitchen tools.) Then I simply tossed them with rice vinegar, sugar, salt, a drip of sesame oil, and a dot of tamari and let them sit for a bit to soak it all up. Before I ate them, I sprinkled on aleppo pepper, a current obsession. I don't think I've prepared anything in the last few weeks that I haven't sprinkled with aleppo pepper.

You can also top these with toasted sesame seeds, scallion slivers, or lemon zest. They're a great snack with a dish of salted, roasted peanuts and a beer on the porch in the late afternoon. Or as a side with one of my favorite quick summer dishes: slices of cold poached chicken served with a mash of ginger, diced scallions, sesame and olive oils, and salt.