English Cucumber Salad with Kefir Dressing

English Cucumber Salad and Kefir Dressing by Chef Curtis Gamble, Station. — English Cucumber Salad and Kefir Dressing by Chef Curtis Gamble, Station.

Chef Curtis Gamble invited TABLE Magazine to spend a day in his kitchen with simple recipes and springtime flavors.

We started our day together with the plate of thinly sliced cucumbers shown here, finished with kefir dressing, with shallots, crumbled feta, fresh dill, a sprinkle of Aleppo chile. Chef Gamble had our full attention with this first delicate and delicious plate. “I look for ways to be reductive,” Curtis says, explaning his keep it simple ethos. “Limiting myself to a certain ingredient or idea leads to creativity with texture, salt, fat, and acid. Allowing space and room for flavor to breath is a skill.”

We moved on to Roasted Eggplant with Anchovy Almond Crumble. As always when good food hits the table, stories were shared. “I grew up with a single mom, very food insecure, and that has had the most impact on the way I like to cook,” Curtis recounts. “Whether my mom was breading off-cuts like chicken livers in seasoned flour and frying them or pulling potatoes and spring onions from our modest garden, we would always eat humbly but well-seasoned. My first real job was as a prep cook at a big-box rib joint, and from there I never turned back. One foot in front of the other took me from culinary school to Grit and Grace, to Station.”

The Gnocchi alla Romana with Pesto Genovese arrive, along with English peas with soffrito, yogurt and lemon, and a gorgeous asparagus platter. We exclaim that we will never forget these gnocchi, with their earthy crispiness playing off of the vivid, garlicky sauce. Or any of Chef Gamble’s veggie-forward dishes.

Curtis responds, “As brutal as this pandemic is, the thing that it has really made me appreciate is the connections and the memories we facilitate for people.”

English Cucumber Salad with Kefir Dressing

Kefir dressing ( recipe follows)

2 seedless English cucumbers, thinly sliced

Shallot, sliced into thin rings

Salt and pepper, to taste

Feta

Fresh dill

Aleppo chili

For the kefir dressing:

1 cup milk kefir

2 tbsp dill, minced

2 tbsp parsley, minced

2 tbsp chives, chopped

4 garlic cloves

Zest and juice of 2 lemons

Add all ingredients to a tall cup or bowl and, using a hand blender, puree to combine. Add salt and pepper to taste.

To finish:

In a large mixing bowl, add dressing, cucumber, shallot and salt and pepper, to taste. Adjust acidity with extra lemon juice. Spoon onto a serving platter laying as flat as possible. Sprinkle feta, fresh torn dill, and Aleppo chili and serve immediately.

STORY AND STYLING BY KEITH RECKER / PHOTOGRAPHY BY DAVE BRYCE / FOOD AND RECIPE BY CHEF CURTIS GAMBLE, STATION