Sunday 31 May 2015

Fresh As Can Be!

Insalata di Crescione Selvatico, Cetriolo & Pomodoro con Feta, Timo & Miele
Wild Watercress, Cucumber & Tomato Salad with Feta Cheese, Honey & Thyme


I have said this before... And I shall now say it again, all you need to make a great salad is great ingredients! It is not about rich dressings that overpower the flavor of the salad itself, that are over-seasoned and that dominate the whole composition... It is about the combination and balance of the flavors your salad ingredients have.

Take this wonderful salad for example... Made from the most peppery-tasting, beautiful "wild" cress, sweet tomatoes, fresh and crispy cucumber, salty feta cheese and dressed with olive oil, lemon juice and honey... That's a lot of different flavors for your taste buds to be dealing with already! And they will be very happy to do so- let me tell you!


 

Next dinner party you throw, set out a platter like this and spread a few smiles. It's full of familiar flavors, but if you can get this lovely, flowering, large-leafed wild cress, the amazingly peppery flavor will be a revelation! So refreshing and so good!

 

I have already described the way the flavors of each ingredient compliment each other... And a great companion for feta cheese of course is thyme... Better still, a combination of honey and thyme!

And obviously... You are not going to need any exact quantities or measurements here!!! Just do as I do and all will be fine!


 

Isn't that just a thing of beauty? Why fuss, why ruin what nature already gives us? Just bring the good things together... And simply enjoy them as they are!

 

Basically, all I did was thorough wash the cress and let it drip-dry... Don't spin it or squeeze it or squash it... This is fiery tasting but it is delicate stuff!

Whilst it is drying, slice your tomatoes and cucumber and lay them out decoratively. Add the cress in the middle and then scatter the tomatoes and cucumbers with thyme and then the whole thing with sea salt.


 

 After a couple of minutes, the salt will start to draw out the juices of the tomatoes and cucumbers... Can't you just taste them already from looking at this photo?

Add a nice drizzle of olive oil and then go grab that feta cheese!



Scatter generously with crumbled feta cheese, which will of course soak up some of those juices, then more freshly plucked thyme and then drizzle with honey and olive oil. Add a queeze of lemon juice... And that's it! You are all dressed-up and ready to serve!

 

Are you drooling yet? Haha! Then wipe your lips, grab your shopping basket and go get yourself some cress! Get this good stuff... And make this great salad! And enjoy it all for yourself!

 

On the other hand... Don't be as selfish as I was... Go on! Share it! It will taste better still if you do!

 

No comments:

Post a Comment