Cucumber, Pepper, Peach, Green Tomato Cottage Cheese

Executive Chef Cassidee Dabney and her team shared this recipe with guests in a cooking demo during our Feed the Wolf event. Perfect for a light meal, a side dish or a snack, enjoy this garden-inspired, flavor-filled Cucumber, Pepper, Peach, Green Tomato Cottage Cheese.

Ingredients
1 ripe peach, sliced thinly
2 English cucumbers
1 poblano pepper
1 cup preserved peppers* (not straight pickled)
1 green tomato, thinly sliced
4 Tablespoons chive oil†
Lemon juice
Cottage cheese‡
Basil

Peel and slice the cucumber on a mandolin using only the flesh of the cucumber. The seeded middle is great for cocktails or cucumber water.

Combine the sliced poblano peppers, preserved peppers, sliced cucumbers, sliced green tomatoes and basil in a large mixing bowl. Dress with lemon juice and the oil from the preserved peppers. Season to taste.

Place a generous spoonful of your cottage cheese in the bottom of your serving bowls. Season with salt and freshly cracked pepper and top with your dressed salad and a drizzle of chive oil. Garnish with additional basil leaves and serve immediately.

*Preserved Peppers
6 cups peppers (Cassidee suggests sweet lunchbox peppers)
8 cups white wine vinegar
¼ cup salt
¼ cup sugar
Pinch of ascorbic acid
Olive oil to cover

Thinly slice peppers to a 1/8 of an inch thick using a mandolin.
Combine the white wine vinegar, salt, sugar and ascorbic acid, and brine the peppers in that liquid for 24 hours.
After 24 hours, strain the liquid.
Place the peppers in a container and cover them with olive oil.
Store in the refrigerator for up to three months.

†Chive Oil
Puree equal parts chives and oil in a blender. Quickly bring to a simmer. The puree will separate and become bright green. Strain and cool immediately.

‡Cottage Cheese
Heat ½ gallon of milk to 180 degrees.
Add 1 teaspoon citric acid, stir and turn off the heat. Allow the curds to sit in the whey for four minutes.
Transfer the curds to a cheese cloth lined strainer.
Sprinkle the curds with 1 teaspoon salt.
Allow to cool uncovered in the refrigerator.
Once cool, gently incorporate 2/3 cup cream and 1/3 cup buttermilk into the curds with ½ teaspoon of salt.
Allow it to set up in the refrigerator for about an hour before transferring it into a container.
Yields 2 cups. Reserve the whey for futur