Ingredients :

• The cucumber — Choose one that feels firm under your fingers—if it yields slightly to pressure, move on, it will release too much water during cooking. The partial peeling trick: remove every other strip with a vegetable peeler; it gives a dark and light green marble effect that is as pretty as it is practical—the remaining skin holds the texture.
• The turkey ham — Two thick slices are better than four thin ones that will melt and disappear. Cut them into cubes of about two centimeters—large enough to find them under the tooth. Avoid overly smoked versions that might overpower the other flavors.
• The bell pepper — Yellow preferably, because it is sweeter than red when cooked and contrasts better with the green of the cucumber. Red also works very well. Green, however, remains bitter—not ideal here.
• Fresh thyme — A real sprig of fresh thyme, not dried. The olfactory difference is immediate—fresh has that camphorous, almost pine resin side that spreads through the pan as soon as it hits the heat. If you only have dried, use half as much.