Rare beef, cucumber, chilli and mint

Cool and light — this could be the perfect summer dinner

Ingredients

½	Telegraph cucumbers, very firm (halve it crosswise)
2 Tbsp	Sherry vinegar, good quality
12 slices	Beef, paper-thin slices of rare roast beef, use scotch fillet, sirloin or wing rib,(chilled for at least 6 hours) (Main)
1	Chilli, mild red banana chilli (or other mild red chilli), deseeded and cut in 3cm long matchsticks
1 to taste	Sea salt flakes
½ cup	Mint leaves

Directions

1. Use a mandolin to cut the cucumber in very thin long ribbons.
2. Place these in a large, wide mixing bowl and sprinkle with the vinegar.
3. Set aside for 5-10 minutes to quickly pickle.
4. Add the beef slices, chilli strips and mint leaves to the bowl.
5. Season lightly with salt, then gently toss everything together to combine.
6. Carefully arrange the salad across a large platter in a single, rumpled layer. Serve immediately.

Tip: This simple dish relies on the sherry vinegar for its success, but at a pinch you could try a decent white wine or cider vinegar.