Not a tossed salad!

Let's look at how to make the CCAP salad so you end up with evenly diced vegetables dressed with a tasty, mildly citrus-y vinaigrette in a cunning cucumber mold.

Take a deep breath - this is easy with fewer than 15 very logical steps. (Remember: you have this recipe memorized.)

* Core, score, blanch and shock your tomato - and then take it out of the ice as soon as it's cool. Put it back on your mise en place tray and leave it alone for now

* Make vinaigrette, taste. Adjust seasoning and put it on top of the ice bath

* Peel, dice jicama (small! 1/4 by 1/4 inch) - put it in the vinaigrette - leave that tomato alone! It does NOT go into the vinaigrette YET!

* Dice bell peppers (small!) - This goes into the vinaigrette!

* Cut onion into small dice - add to vinaigrette

* NOW peel, seed and dice that tomato and add it to the vinaigrette

* Cut cucumber slices for ring mold and plate them into the mold

* Peel, seed and dice the remaining cucumber and add to vinaigrette

* TASTE your salad and adjust seasonings

* Strain all vinaigrette from diced vegetables (you may wish to use cheesecloth to be certain vegetables are seasoned but not dripping)

* Put strained vegetables into mold; clean plate for presentation

TIP - Be sure you have enough diced vegetables to fill your cucumber mold. The current CCAP salad recipe notes "cilantro sprigs for garnish," but keep it to a sprig or two!