On Lakes and Salads

The shoreline is filled with bodies of all shapes and sizes. A clang rings out as a metal folding table is unfolded and an electric hotplate is ritually placed atop. A mum and a granny start a big pot of water boiling for the coming pasta. A couple of toddlers proudly bear their birthday suits and rush into the water. The lake is much different than the beach. Families load up the car with enough equipment to spend all week at the shoreline. Yet they are here just for the day.



Lake Bracciano is just north of Rome. At first glance, it seems a bit rougher, almost like you can feel the cramped flats on the outskirts of the city from where the families left early that morning. Teenage girls sport undergarments in place of swimming suits. Boys shout from open doors of a camper van, while at their feet a dog lies panting. There are more bald spots here than at the beach. More bad tattoos. More bellies. The shore is covered in black pebbles that are much too hot to lie comfortably on. There is no gentle aroma of fried fish, or the view of perky bronzed cheeks.

Of course, the games people play are the same. The coquettish ball tosses in the water. The shrieking, the yelling, and finally a mum scolding. The leisurely way one's stomach finally decides it is hungry. This is what I know. Lake food. Upon deciding to head to the lake last weekend, my hands went into action. Slicing any available fruit, tossing in some basil, and letting sit in the freezer until departure.

Hours later, after a swim (in water that was quite clear for a lake), when the stomach started to plead, the fruit salad was revealed. An Italian friend: "You have salad? With basil? On fruit?" Oh no. Another sanctum Italian food custom has been breached. This happens all too often.

 

Basil or no basil (mmm...or sometimes mint), fruit salad at the lake is comforting. I feel like in Wisconsin again. Almost.

For another freeze-friendly picnic salad, see last week's Green Bean and Hazelnut Salad.

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Green Bean & Hazelnut Salad - Summer Style

 
Hazelnuts and green beans adorning the Thanksgiving table is a given. But in summer? Not usually the first thought. There are three excellent reasons why this makes a fantastic summer dish:

1) It's picnic perfect.

• Stick in the freezer for a few hours and it can withstand an afternoon at the beach. By the time your stomach is ready, it will have reached a perfect temperature. And no creamy dressing or bacon makes it sun-safe and won't frighten your bikini-clad companions.

2) Hazelnuts rock.

•  Summer is witness to an abundance of almond-focused dishes. Any why not? They are great with fruit, grilled fishes, and so on. Yet health wise, hazelnuts pack in just as much good stuff as their almondy counterparts. While there are many dangers of the summer, what with sharks and UV rays, finding oneself in an almond-rut should also be warned against. The prevention: from time to time, reach for hazelnuts.

3) Less carbs and time to cook than pasta.

• Self-explanatory. Yes, both produce the kitchen heat required for a boiling pot of water, but these babies only take 3 minutes to boil. Compared to an 8-11 minute spaghetti al dente time, the choice is clear. And, um, these guys are vegetables!

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..and this is the beef

{Steak with a Cilantro Dressing & a Bresaola Potato Salad}

Some days must be witness to a little beefy indulgence. Make no mistake, this is not whatever the newest mcmassive hamburger is being promoted in the adverts. Rather, what a better accompaniment to a nice beef steak than a little bit more beef?

First came the bresaola-wrapped potato salad. The following day, some gorgeous Chianina steaks were waiting to be topped with a spicy-cilantro dressing. Hmmmm...no time to do up a side, how about that potato salad with the thin slices of cured beef? Yes please, said the stomach.

The potato salad is based out of Cook with Jamie. It's a slight twist on the classic - with lemon, horseradish, and celery. I find it brilliantly refreshing in the summer. Boiling the potatoes is done in the cool of night, of course. Replacing the crème fraiche with plain yogurt keeps it light, and I would even say that it is begging to be taken out for a picnic.

Alongside a choice cut of meat with a spicy topping, the coolness of the salad complements perfectly, while the lemon-horseradish acts as a palette cleanser. A surprisingly fantastic beefy combination.

And moo said the cow.

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Flavia's Strawberry Pasta

Strawberry pasta salad with cucumbers, fresh mozzarella, and basil turned out to be a refreshing spring lunch. I can imagine this as a sort of picnic fare, as it is best at room temperature and would travel well. With a sweet balsamic glaze and a pinch of salt it was still a dish with a soft flavour. I am toying with the idea of switching out the mozzarella for some tangy chucks of feta cheese next time.

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Ribboned Zucchini and Parmesan Salad

Eating out, exploring new restaurants, is not only such a pleasure in itself, but can often inspire dishes to be recreated at home. A few weeks ago I shared a few bites of a starter salad of delicate ribbons of zucchini atop some punchy arugula. Lovely chunks of Parmesan were stuffed between the curls and some deeply flavoured olive oil was drizzled over all. Perfetto.

Since then, there have been few waking moments where that salad hasn't been on my mind. So this week, I've been doing the same, with the addition of fresh lemon juice, Maldon sea salt, and with some warmed Italian flatbread called Piadina. Fresh and simple, it works beautifully as a light lunch, a starter, or even as a late night meal for those working evening hours and facing that dreaded 11pm I-need-a-quick-and-light-meal-and-don't-want-to-dive-into-the-bag-of-tortilla-chips-again moment. Although I must warn, try this salad once, and you'll be dreaming of zucchini ribbons for weeks to come!

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Purple Potato Salad from the Sea

Insalata di Patate e Calamari was a dish discovered years ago. A light potato salad with baby squid and a black olive tapenade spread mixed into the dressing. The flavours were out of this world. It wasn't very pleasing to the eye, however, as the tapenade tinged the potatoes grey. Enter the purple potato. These babies do loose a bit of vibrancy when boiled, but when spritzed with the lemon afterwards, bounce right back to a startling violet hue. Perfect for salads.

I remember reading Rome-blogger Apron and Sneaker's post about her hunt for violet potatoes, and so when I stumbled upon them at a local market, I quickly nabbed a few packages. I new they were prime for salads. The memories of the calamari salad I'd made years ago had left quite the impression. It's the heavy dose of tapenade in the dressing that makes it stand out among potato salads. Zingy lemon and a bright black olive spread tie the potatoes and seafood together just so well.

I've used strictly calamari in the past, but this time went for a calamari-based seafood mix I'd picked up. The seafood is brought to life in a quick aromatic boil of wine and herbs, then cooled to be mixed with the potatoes. Not at all overly fishy for a salad, and would serve well as a light lunch or side to a grilled meaty main.

Next time violet potatoes present themselves, I'm trying Apron and Sneaker's salad with tomatoes, pancetta, and blue cheese. But for now, while biding my time for proper fresh tomatoes, this bright salad from the sea is just what the mid-winter blahs needs.

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It's a Twofor! {Puntarelle + Potato Salad}

 

Resources. Tangible or not, we need them both, and they need us. Teaching English abroad, my students are some of the best resources I've got. Spanning fields such as law, finance, IT, medicine...I've always had my go-to person for basic needs pretty much covered. Funny enough, I've never taught any chefs, restaurateurs, or other food industry folks. But I find almost everyone delights in explaining local dishes, or pointing out the best/worst foodie spots in town, to the newbie.

Puntarelle - native specifically to the Lazio (Roman) region. It is in the chicory family, but different than chicory in the proper sense. From November to February, I am told this veg is found in markets, restaurants, and on mum's table. Although, it looks like I may be needing tips from one of these Italian mums, as my puntarelle didn't curl.

See, puntarelle is an abundant, but bitter, green that some clever peasants back in the day started soaking in cold water to make it more palatable. The fun bit is that then it curls up into little green curly-cues. I thought it would be just like wrapping presents, when the ribbon gets all tightly curled with the scissors (the ONLY reason I wrap.) Not this time. Not this puntarelle. Lack of curls shouldn't get a girl down though. It still tasted great, not at all bitter, especially balanced with the traditional anchovy-garlic dressing.

Now, the confession must come. I did not properly rinse my salted anchovies. At first taste, the salt was really quite overpowering. A potato salad thus enters the scene..the plot (and the salad) thickens. A big bowl of a light and lemony fennel-potato salad was in the fridge from the previous day. It also happened to be low on salt. Perfetto. The combination was so complementary I couldn't believe my luck. I had hoped to bring the puntarelle to a colleagues cook-out and really didn't want to disappoint. While it was still definitely on the salty side, the potato salad muted it just enough. The lemon, tarragon, fennel flavours really made one stellar match for the anchovy-garlic puntarelle.

So, thanks to those resourceful Romans, who left a very practical culinary legacy of bitter-green-soaking, today's post is a twofor - two salads for one. Mix and match as you please, delightful eaten on their own, but becoming a substantial power player when paired together.

Recipe: Puntarelle + Potato Salad

Serves 6-8 as a side

Eat with Sauvignon Blanc

Potato Salad:

4-5 potatoes

1 med (or half large) bulb fennel

1 shallot

juice of 1 1/2 lemons

1 1/2 heaping Tb plain yogurt

1 heaping Tb mayonnaise

1 handful flat-leaf parsley

1 tsp dried tarragon

salt/pepper

good olive oil

1) Cube the potatoes and boil until soft (15-20 mins)

2) Finely slice the fennel bulb, reserving the fronds for garnish. Mince the shallots. In a large bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, yogurt, and mayonnaise. Add the fennel, shallots, parsley, and tarragon. Mix well.

3. When potatoes have cooled just a bit, add into the salad. Salt/pepper to taste and toss in those fennel fronds.

Puntarelle alla Romana:

2 small (1 large) heads puntarelle (chicory)
2-3 cloves garlic
5 fillets anchovies in salt
2 Tb balsamic vinegar
5 Tb extra virgin olive oil

1) Cut and soak the puntarelle: follow the pictures here at Giallo Zafferanoa (text is Italian). Great blog posts at Rachel Eats and Apron and Sneakers. Basically, you want to use the hollow stalks, not the greens, and not the really flimsy outer stalks. Pick away the outer leaves, and slice the leefy tops off the tubular stalks. Then slice the long way into 6-8 long matchsticks. Stick in a big bowl of ice water for a good hour. They should curl if sliced thin enough, and not cut too short. If not, don't worry, the bitterness will still be gone, they just don't look as fun.

2) Make the dressing: mash the garlic in a mortar/pestle, or smash/finely mince. Rinse the anchovies very well of salt, and pat dry. Snip of the tail bits, and toss in a bowl with the garlic and vinegar. Use the back of a fork to mash, or two knives like you are cutting butter into pastry. Add olive oil and let sit 10 minutes before using.

3) Strain (or stick in a salad spinner) and pat dry with a kitchen towel. In a big bowl, toss well with the dressing and let sit 30 minutes before eating.

Enjoy.
- Jo

Detox: Day 2 {Strawberries+Ginger / Moonblush Tomatoes / Ratatouille}

Second day of the detox had an overall sluggish pace to it. I must confess, I miss my coffee juuust a little.

I woke up feeling pretty full from the previous day. Remember that miso-beet soup which serves 3 - 4 bowls? Well, I had eaten nearly all of it the night before...it was that good.

Looking around for a light breakfast then, a package of half-thawed strawberries were waiting for me in the fridge. So the day started by blending those with some ginger and lemon to be topped with sparkling mineral water. A bit of a detox morning spritzer really.


Keeping it light was a good idea. I knew I was in for a treat for lunch, as I had let Nigella Lawson's "moonblush tomatoes" work their magic overnight. It's a brilliant idea really. Halve a bunch of cherry tomatoes, top with thyme and stick in a heated (but turned off) oven overnight. The technique brings out their sweetness just perfectly. Toss with some frisée and mint, and that is one delightful lunch plate in front of you.


Dinner deserves a hot meal, so I threw together a Ratatouille with broccoli, instead of the more traditional zucchini. It was so easy, and such a warm, filling dish, I felt like I was fooling my body into thinking it was getting a big plate of carbs. But nope, only veg.

There's no picture of the finished Ratatouille, as it was after dark, and quite frankly, it's a veritable bowl of veg mush anyways. But a very tasty bowl it was!

Detox Series:
Detox: The Rules

Day 1: Fennel+Grapefruit / Miso+Beet Soup

Day 2: Strawberries+Ginger / Moonblush Tomatoes / Ratatouille

Day 3: Roasted Root Vegetables+Squash

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Ladies Who Lunch {Ceasar Salad & Ricotta Panna Cotta}

In an Italian restaurant, 12:00 noon on a Friday, sat the four women I was looking for. I knew them only by their English. Here was my first meeting of the local women's expat group. I was giddy. Almost blind-date giddy. I wanted to waltz up and declare, "Why excuse me, but are you the ladies who lunch?"

I did no such thing, however, as I consider myself as a girl with sense (at least, on some days, and this day was one of them). 

Meeting new people during the week, at a lunch no less, does not happen that often. For one, I work. Beyond that, I have always held a slight aversion to self-professed women's groups. It feels like staring into a Georgia O'Keeffe pastel flower, that is, the softer side of feminism. Either be bold, be one hell of a chick, or embrace gender neutrality. But the idea of acting demure and using my inside voice, and drinking only tea and water, and talking about what the husbands do, and only using understated adjectives to describe one's passions...well, little appeal I suppose.

In a resolution to bond more with the ladies, though, this is exactly what I did. And it was nice. Yes, I waited my turn to speak, and kept the curse words under wraps. But I also found myself laughing until I had stitches in my sides when a proper British lady spoke of the pink skivvies which peek out of the trousers of her young transvestite gypsy gardener as he tends to her holiday home.

Skivvies aside though, as expats without local family support, it becomes even more apparent that us girls need to help each other out. Even though expat woman's groups are great ways to connect, it can be the small ways that make all the difference. A deal. A swap. A mutually beneficial arrangement that serves a purpose, and gives girls a time to bond. 

In the last few weeks a neighbour and I have started a food deal. I am now without wheels, so grocery shopping is a pain and a half. And I am recently cooking for one, which is a bit of a change to get used to. So my neighbour drives me to the supermarket, where I can load up on all my heavy things. She is a bit younger, busy with studies and work, so in turn I cook us a meal. So far, so good. Such a basic concept, but for some reason it took us ages to come up with the idea! 

What are your ways for helping out and being helped by other women? I bet you can think of some way to ease your and someone else's lives at the same time. 

Last weekend, we had a light lunch to try out a new Caesar salad dressing, followed by a vanilla bean infused ricotta Panna Cotta. I admit, it sounds a bit like fussy lady food, but home-made Caesar salads are a great way to sneak in those healthy sardine omega-3s and iron. And Panna Cotta? It's all calcium, baby.

I think I'll like being a lady who lunches.

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Minty Lentil Lunch Salad - To Go!

Monday mornings. Ugh. I don't know about the rest you, but mine always start out a bit haphazardly. Monday is like a dress rehearsal, and the real week actually starts on Tuesday for me.

Not last week though. You see, I am finally so bored with business park lunch restaurants to motivate myself to plan and prepare a lunch to-go. Ah, my American readers might think me a bit lazy, and there is some truth to that, I'm sure. But it's also a cultural thing. In the Czech Republic, worker bees tend not to take lunch with them. Restaurants serve hot, cheap meals daily, which are (mostly) palatable. And what's more, they can be ordered and digested within a 30 minute time frame. Brekkie and snacks might be toted to work, but lunch - why bother?

Even in large international companies with modern kitchen facilities, few people eat in them. People pop in and out for bevvies and to grab their snacks to be eaten deskside. But I rarely see people sitting at a table with some microwaved leftovers, or a sandwich. Baguettes from the petrol station, maybe while standing by the espresso machine, but a slapped-together turkey and swiss...never. Sure, I understand sandwich-making is an art perfected on the other side of the Atlantic, but even the classic Czech řízek (schnitzel) on rye sandwich cannot be found in the lunch fridge. Only yogurt. Rows and rows of tub after sad tub of yogurt.

So last Monday, I got up 15 minutes earlier to throw together my first of (hopefully) many more lunch boxes. It was brilliant. So healthy. And cheap. Why didn't I discover this lentil salad ages ago? It stays crisp until lunch, with just a light dressing. It's best eaten closer to room temperature than fridge freezing cold...so take it out a bit before you eat, and you'll be glad you did.

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Spinach,Tomato, and Goat Cheese Salad

The summer seems to have finally caught up with food bloggers. I feel soothed to see that I am not alone in starting a post with 'Well, it's been awhile...' So, yes, it has been awhile indeed.

I can't remember the last time I turned the oven on. Instead, kitchen appliances have taken root on my countertops - blenders and grill machines earn their keep in these months. And the cutting board is always in the 'ready' position for those salad fixings to be sliced up.

This salad is a no-brainer really. Spinach and tomatoes, with a bit of basil, goat cheese, and lemon dressing. Yet, I've been eating enough of it lately to feel that it deserves a post, and a picture. So here we are.

Like my comrades wielding their cameras over their dinner plates, I really hope to get some more posts up soon. I've got plans, sure, but it is summer after all, and my darling puppy Saffi keeps begging me to take her on excursions and take super cute pictures of her. Who could say no to this face?

And she has this super-dog ability to find, and gracefully run with, the biggest stick in any region. Shiba Inus are so much fun!

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Grilled Chicken and Mango Salad

If I were to make a top-ten list of things I miss about the living in the States, the availability of cilantro would most certainly be on it. This much-adored herb has yet to break into the Czech foodscape, and is relegated to Vietnamese shops and sometimes sold in pots in herb sections of the grocery stores. So last year I started growing my own. Sometimes from little potted plants, sometimes from seed, but always with fairly good results.


As long as the pot is deep enough for the long 'tap root' it is said to have, one shouldn't have any problems. I keep popping in a few more seeds every few weeks to keep up the rotation in a few pots to give me a constant supply all summer long. Which means, for this months' Forever Nigella challenge Salad Days, hosted by Belleau Kitchen,  I could easily throw together her Chicken, Mango and Chilli Salad. 

This salad is so quick and easy to assemble, and is satisfyingly healthy to boot.

Both groundnut (peanut) and sesame oils are called for, but I omitted the peanut oil and used just a wee bit of sesame oil, and it was just the right touch. Also, the recipe states that it serves 2-3, but I easily gobbled it all up on my own for a nice big filling dinner after a long day. I didn't have leftover chicken to make it with (as the recipe calls for), but rather threw a piece on a little grill machine for 20 minutes while prepping (and photographing) the salad bits. The result: crisp, bright and tangy, with a bit of spice. Lovely.

Can't wait to be inspired by the other salads in this month's round!

Dobrou Chut'/ Enjoy.
-- Jo