3 Summer Salads: Caprese Tricolore, Ottolenghi Asparagus & the return of Patatosalata

Feta and Tomato Lentil Salad

Hi Mati!

I am so proud of us and so happy with our new “home!” 🙂  I am really happy that we are doing this.

I do remember how much you like pink! How can I forget…. everything that I see something pink I think about you.

Remember how I told you that I had the camera fixing with Best Buy?  So for some odd reason they fixed it and decided to send it back to me, instead of me picking it up, but they sent it to the wrong address.  Their mistake, I got a new camera!  I got the same one, not sure I am keeping it yet… I had to get a camera yesterday but I can return it in case I find one that is better.  It is the same as the one I had before, just a newer model.  I also got a mini lecture on DSLR cameras.  Here are some of the pictures I have been playing with.  The next step is Photoshop.  Oy, how I wish I had the time to do everything that is on my To Do list.

Pretty Sunflowers I got from A

Greek Salad Madness: Zingy Springy Potatosalata!

Dear Franny,

The sun is slowly coming out of its hiding place and the days are getting dramatically longer, which is a wonderful thing. When the sun is out over here, it is absolutely lovely. The grass blades really ignite like greenfire, emitting a neon green glow for miles and miles. (It is one of the little joys that I get from my hour long commute to and from work everyday.) All kinds of flowers are cropping up in the middle of grass patches, and ducks are quacking all around!

In this spirit, I have found myself starting to experiment again with one of my favorite food categories: Cold Salads!

This recipe is a great way to eat potatoes cold, it is really fresh, and a wonderful side dish to any meat, chicken, fish, veggie burger. It is also really flexible in the way that you make it, you can use boiled or grilled potatoes, big or small potatoes, yellow or white, and probably even sweet! any way you make it, it is DELICIOUSNESS HITTING YOUR TASTE-BUDS!!

INGREDIENTS

• 1 kg potatoes
• 3-4 spring onions
• Handful parsley (chopped)
• 1 – 1 1/2 lemon’s fresh squeezed juice (depends on how juicy your lemons are, or how lemony you a taste you prefer)
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 tbsp vinegar
• 2 tbsp capers
• Salt & Pepper

DIRECTIONS

1. Cut potatoes into large bite-sized pieces. (I like to use baby potatoes, so that I can keep skin on, and only have to cut in half).
2. Boil potatoes in salted water, until cooked through. (quickest test is to poke a knife through one of your ‘taters.)
3. Once cooked drain and quickly rinse with ice cold water. Dry, transfer to a large bowl and refrigerate.
4. Slice spring onions thinly. Chop parsley. Squeeze lemon’s juice.
5. Bring potatoes out of the fridge, and add onions, parsley, capers(with a little brine), lemon juice, olive oil, vinegar. Toss carefully, making sure to coat your potatoes thoroughly with dressing, salt and pepper to taste.
6. Refrigerate for 15 minutes to let the potatoes really soak up the yummy flavors, and serve.

If you are cooking with more Latin flavors, substitute the lemon for lime and parsley for cilantro, forget the capers and add a little chopped jalapeno or chili pepper (or sweet paprika)! For an Indo-infused accent you can of course also add curry powder!

Alternatively if you want to eat it as a main dish, you can turn this into a lettuce-less Nicoise, just add a perfectly boiled egg, some tuna, tomatoes, and green beans (which I didn’t have that day). Please do share you favorite combos or twists!

Tangy Chunky Barley Tabouleh

Hi Fran!

Last weekend I went to Greece for the weekend to see my family, and I hosted a dinner party to see my closest friends… of course!

Since we started this blog, I have been so excited about all my new cooking talents that I wanted to show them off. So I decided to make one of the dishes I love deeply, Paella! And well, it was totally mediocre!! I used the totally wrong rice for this, no one told me that basmati was not suitable for this dish and it turned mushy, the amazing seafood flavor didn’t come out. The best part was that the only food we were serving that night was this paella! oh well, they all love me so they ate it with a smile 🙂

But whenever I go home I get this strong urge to eat fresh crunchy amazing vegetables… so last night I decided to bring my Mediterranean to Oxford through a refreshing tabouleh. I have made tabouleh a bunch of times, and every time I find myself confused with the texture. I am never sure if all of that fine chopping by hand works for me, by way of the best texture, or if I prefer a more rustic flare. And then there is couscous… I love it in Moroccan food, but otherwise I am not a huge fan, I really prefer something more nutritious and chewier. So I decided to try: Barley Tabouleh… in short… YUMMMMMMMMM!!!

INGREDIENTS:

• 240 gr / 1 cup Pearl Barley
• 1 bouillon cube (vegetable or chicken)
• 330 gr / 1 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes quartered
• 60 gr parsley / 1 cup chopped parsley
• 6-8 Mint leaves chopped
• 1/2 cucumber diced
• 1/2 medium red onion diced
• 1 garlic clove minced
• 2 lemons’ juice
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 tbsp sumac
• pinch allspice
• pinch cinnamon
• salt and pepper

DIRECTIONS:

1. Place barley in a small sauce pan covering with cold water. Bring to the boil remove from heat, rinse.
2. Return to sauce pan, cover again with cold water add the bouillon cube and bring to the boil. Once it is boiling, reduce heat and simmer until all the water is absorbed, stir occasionally. (will take 30 -40 mins). Set to the side to cool.
3. While barley is cooking, dice all the remaining ingredients and place in bowl.
4. Once barley is at room temperature, add to vegetables, add lemon juice, olive oil and spices.
5. Place in the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes for flavours to blend. Serve!