La Bella Italia: Panzanella Salad from la cucina povera

Always the freshest produce at the Italian market

Necessity, as they say, is the mother of invention.

Born to Italian immigrants, I saw this first hand growing up. We reused and recycled long before it was fashionable; everything was saved and nothing went to waste. Nowhere was that more apparent than around food. The parmigiano rind went into the soup, adding depth and richness of flavour. Drippings were carefully strained and preserved. Coffee grinds and egg shells made a rich compost, the better to grow our tomatoes, zucchini and peppers.

That is also how the most delicious of Italian dishes have been born. La cucina povera – literally the poor kitchen – is represented by those dishes where a little had to go a long way, a piece of meat was precious, scarce and longed for, and nothing ever went to waste. Pappa al pomodoro – bread and tomato soup. Risi e bisi – rice and beans. Acquacotta – literally “cooked water” soup, into which all of the day’s scraps were combined to make a warming (and delicious) broth.

Rolling Tuscan hills as far as the eye can see at Fattoria di Montalbano

The view at breakfast - an idyllic spot to start the day

We began our recent two week Italian holiday in an agriturismo just south of Florence – Fattoria di Montalbano. We had rented Il Trebbiali, a six bedroom villa on the grounds of the Nustrini farm. Charming, comfortable and with a big homey Tuscan kitchen, I had visions of cooking up a storm of Italian delicacies. As it happened, dinner was more often than not a gorgeous plate of salume and cheese, accompanied by delicious Chianti.

Enjoying a sundowner at Il Trebbiali

On our last night at Il Trebbiali, we planned to use the last of what was in the fridge. And so it was that I experienced firsthand la cucina povera. Upon inspection, there wasn’t much left, but I knew what was there would be great. I’d assemble a plate of the remaining finocchiona, prosciutto and pecorino; the fresh sausages we bought at the local marcelleria would be grilled, and we’d finish with perhaps my favourite of the cucina povera repertoire: panzanella – a tomato, bread and cucumber salad that humbly combines a handful of ingredients into a splendid dish.

Panzanella Salad
serves four comfortably, and two greedily

A half a loaf or more of good quality day old Italian bread. The bread must be old; this is not the time to use a fresh loaf
Olive oil
One garlic clove, cut in half
6-8 really ripe but firm tomatoes. Forget the hard tasteless fruits of winter and greenhouses
1 English cucumber
4-6 leaves fresh basil, torn
More olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Slice the bread into thick pieces. Rub the cut clove over one side and generously brush both sides of the bread with olive oil. Grill the bread over a charcoal grill, turning the pieces until both sides are browned and toasted. Set bread aside to cool.

2. Roughly chop the tomatoes and put them in a large serving bowl. Some recipes for panzanella call for the tomatoes to be peeled and seeded; I say - this is a rustic salad. La mamma would have dispensed with such niceties when trying to feed a hungry family.

3. Trim the cucumber and chop into bite sized pieces. Add to the tomatoes. Add the basil.

4. Cut the bread into large crouton-style cubes. Add to the tomatoes and toss all three ingredients until well combined.

5. Add a generous amount of olive oil (at least 2 tbsp) and salt and pepper to taste. Toss, taste and adjust seasonings if necessary.

The salad can be made ahead, enough so that the juices develop and the bread absorbs some of the tomato flavour but not so much that you have soggy bread.  If you are making ahead, add the basil just before serving and give a final toss to combine ingredients.

Serve at the end of a Tuscan meal, preferably during sunset, and finish with a delightful bottle of Chianti.

Buon appetito!

Salad Days: Spanish Green Salad with Tuna and Beans

I dream about having the perfect pantry. One that produces, as if by magic, exactly the right ingredient when I need it. Walnut oil, say, or canned escargots. Clam juice, hearts of palm, Picholine olives. That je ne sais quoi needed to finish a dish, add an unexpected touch, make a dish genius instead of just good.

And then I make something simple for dinner, with every ingredient on hand, and the can opener close by. Really good quality canned tuna. Mixed beans. Sherry vinegar and excellent olive oil. A blend of greens. Finishing salt and lots of freshly ground black pepper. In any sort of combination, this rustic and simple salad is a reminder that the basics in your pantry really can combine to make a perfect dish. And that, my friends, is genius.

Spanish Green Salad with Tuna and Beans
serves one very generously for dinner, or two if you add good crusty bread and butter and lots of crisp white wine

Why Spanish?  While this type of salad can be typically be found in Italy, I've given it a twist en Espanol by using Ortiz tuna, Spanish sherry vinegar and Spanish olive oil.  The tuna is premium, and hard to find here; I bought this 250 gr can in London for the equivalent of $9.66.  It's line caught, packed in olive oil and worth seeking out.

According to a Spanish proverb, four people are needed to make a good salad: a spendthrift for oil, a miser for vinegar, a counsellor for salt, and a madman to stir all up

4-6 cups mixed greens: a combination of sturdy crunchy greens like romaine hearts and spicy soft greens, like baby arugula
1 250-gram can of tuna packed in olive oil
½ c mixed beans
Sherry vinegar and olive oil to taste
Plenty of freshly ground black pepper
Maldon salt, or other large and flaky finishing salt

1. I a large bowl, tear romaine leaves into bite size pieces. Add a couple of handfuls of arugula. You can also add a small amount of micro-greens: I used super-healthy micro broccoli greens. Toss to combine.

The layering effect of coarse to micro is very pretty

2. Drain the tuna and add to the salad, breaking any bigger chunks into smaller pieces as you do. Top with the beans. Add the vinegar and olive oil to taste, and finish with a generous sprinkling of pepper. Toss to combine.

3.  Divide between two plates, season generously with salt and serve.

Salad Days: Butter Crunch Salad

I know I know – it’s getting cold outside and we’re supposed to be turning to hearty soups and stews in the kitchen. And I love root vegetables – really I do – so the abundance of all those gnarly misshapen potatoes, turnips, parsnips and yams makes me want to whip out the roasting pan and turn up the oven.

But all that hunkering down needs to be balanced, and there’s no better way than with a salad that’s filled with all things green. Really bright and dazzling, with a lemony dressing that highlights every leaf and shimmers. When I want to feel light-filled, and well, light, after too much hibernation food, this salad is what I crave.

Butter Crunch Salad
serves six

For salad:
1 head butter (Boston) lettuce, washed and torn into bite sized pieces
1 fennel bulb, trimmed, cored and sliced
2-3 celery stalks, leaves included, diced
1 Granny Smith apple
1 cup sunflower sprouts
1 ripe avocado (optional)*


For dressing:
2 tbsp Champagne vinegar
2 tbsp Meyer lemon juice, divided
Grated lemon zest from two Meyer lemons (use regular lemons if Meyer isn't available)
1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp grainy mustard
½ tsp salt
Lots of freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup olive oil

*Part of the beauty of this salad is its "super crunch".  To maintain that consistency, skip the avocado.
1. Make dressing first. Whisk to combine vinegar, 1 tbsp lemon juice, lemon zest, honey, mustard, salt and pepper. Slowly add oil until combined. Set aside.

2. In a large bowl combine lettuce, fennel and celery. Halve, core and dice apple and place in a small bowl; toss with remaining lemon juice. Peel and dice avocado and gently toss with apple and juice. Place in bowl with lettuce. Roughly chop the sunflower sprouts and add to the lettuce.

Be sure to include the celery leaves

Tart Granny Smith apples add both crunch and zestiness to the salad

Hydroponic sunflower sprouts - you can't get any fresher

3. Whisk the dressing one last time, pour over the salad, toss gently and enjoy. Your stomach will be happy and you can spring for dessert - or a second helping of roasted potatoes - guilt-free.

Eat to the Beet: Fabulous Roasted Beet and Grapefruit Salad

Autumn's market bounty

It’s here – that time of year when the fresh produce of fall’s bounty slowly starts winding down and is replaced by sturdy root vegetables. Still, the market was full of colour this Saturday: brilliant sunshine taking the chill off of the October air; gerbera daisies still in abundance from Milan at Bizjak Farms, along with tables laden with apples; multi coloured beets and kale from Ann at Wooler Dale Farms.

We let the season guide us, a Sunday brunch in the offing. Those candy coloured beets were a must and with a new issue of LCBO’s Food & Drink on hand, featuring Ontario’s harvest and plenty of beet recipes, we were set for at least one star attraction on the menu.

Roasted Beet and Grapefruit Salad

adapted from Food & Drink magazine

serves 4

8 baby beets, multi-coloured, trimmed

¼ c water
Salt and pepper
3 small ruby red grapefruit
1 tbsp grapefruit zest
1 tsp honey
1 tsp grainy mustard
¼ c canola oil
6 c mixed salad greens
¼ c thinly sliced red onion
¼ c Marcona almonds
4 oz soft goat cheese, crumbled (we used Grappa soaked goat from Monforte)

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.

2. Trim beet leaves to ¼ inch from beets, and trim off root end. Scrub beets well, and place in a baking dish with the water. Season with salt and pepper, cover with foil and roast until beets are tender, about 45 minutes. Let cool, covered, until cool enough to handle. Trim stalk ends and peel off skins. (Peeled beets can be wrapped and refrigerated for up to 2 days).

Trimmed beets, ready for roasting

The colours are still vivid after roasting

Don't worry - your fingers won't stay stained!

Nature's beautiful colours

3. While the beets are roasting, make the dressing. Finely grate 1 tbsp zest from a grapefruit. Squeeze half a grapefruit to yield 3 tbsp juice. Whisk together zest, juice, honey, mustard, and salt and pepper to taste. Gradually whisk in oil. (Dressing can be refrigerated for up to 8 hours before serving. Whisk again before using).

4. Cut the beets into wedges and toss with 2 tbsp of dressing. Cover and let stand for 30 minutes or refrigerate for up to 8 hours. Cut the two remaining grapefruit into segments, removing pith. Grapefruit can also be prepped in advance, covered and refrigerated.

5. Just before serving, toss salad greens with half the remaining dressing. Top with beets, grapefruit, onion, almonds and cheese. Drizzle with remaining dressing, toss lightly, and serve.

An entertaining note: even for brunch, it's fun to start with an "appetiser".  Since ours was a savoury brunch for six, we started with yellow pepper sippers, a nifty way to serve this fabulous yellow pepper recipe.

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Summertime Grilled Corn Salad

We take a break from our regularly scheduled Italy posts (and yes there are more to come!) to bring you my take on a fabulous summer grilled corn salad, recently enjoyed at a friend’s house and perfect for outdoor eating. The salad can be made ahead and is a delicious accompaniment to grilled meats or fish.

Sweet and Smoky Grilled Corn Salad
serves 8

10 ears corn, husked
½ c olive oil mayonnaise
1 large roasted garlic clove, minced*
½ chipotle chili in adobo, minced
¼ c lime juice
1½ tbsp ground cumin
½ c grated aged Manchego cheese
3 tbsp chopped fresh marjoram
Salt and pepper to taste

*use one large fresh garlic clove if you don’t have the time or inclination to roast a garlic head.

1. Grill the corn, turning frequently, so that each cob is lightly flecked with brown all around. Cool, cut corn off cobs and place corn in a bowl.

2. In a small bowl, combine the remaining ingredients and stir until blended. Combine with the corn, season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve.

NB. The dressing can be made ahead and refrigerated. Combine the corn and dressing while the corn is still slightly warm for easier blending. The completed salad can be refrigerated several hours before serving. Bring to room temperature before serving.

Quick Bites: Summer Salsa Salad

Now that the days are long, the sun is shining, and suppertime can linger well into the evening, it’s time to simplify dinner with something light, easy and delicious.



Enjoying lunch at Waupoos Estates Winery in Prince Edward County

The inspiration for this salad started with salsa-flavoured cheese curds purchased from Black River Cheese Company in Prince Edward County. Curds are one of the few types of cheese that should be eaten fresh, ideally within a day or two of manufacture. We bought a bag to nibble on as we drove through the County, but there was plenty left by the time we got home. With no time for grocery shopping, the curds, combined with some fresh mixed lettuce, avocado, tomato, and a light vinaigrette, made an easy meal that was the perfect way to end the weekend.

Summer Salsa Salad
serves two for dinner

4-6 c. mixed greens, such as romaine and butter lettuce
1 large tomato, diced
½ avocado, diced
one bag fresh cheese curds (about 8 oz)
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp sherry vinegar
sea salt or Maldon salt, to taste
freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1.  Combine first four ingredients in a bowl and toss lightly.  Add next four ingredients, toss until combined, and serve with crusty bread alongside.

Use any type of firm cheese, cubed, for this simple supper salad.  To up the fiesta flavour, add diced red peppers and marcona almonds