One of my food hates is soggy bread so I’m careful with this
adaptation.
200g podded peas
500g broad beans
150g young fennel
4 spring onions
½ a small cucumber
A dozen green olives
A handful flat leaf parsley
1 clove garlic
6tbsp olive oil
3tbsp red wine vinegar
4 slices sourdough bread
Get the boy podding the broad beans. He’s not allowed to do
the peas as he eats too many of them. Some Vivaldi cello concerti would be good
at this point, as you bring a pan of salty water to the boil. Peel and chop the
cucumber and salt it well to draw out water (no soggy bread). Use good salt so
you don’t ruin the flavour.
Cook the peas and beans for no more than 4 minutes, while
the boy takes the bean shells to the
compost bin. Drain them and refresh under cold water. Pop the beans from their
skins as soon as you can handle them.
Shred the fennel finely and pop it in a large bowl. Add the
cool peas and beans. Already it looks good and worthy of the Vivaldi. Chop the
spring onion. Wipe the cucumber dry with kitchen towel. The parsley is just
roughly torn. Put it all in the bowl. It’s kind of like a salsa verde.
Normally you’d start soaking the bread by now, but I really
don’t do that.
Finely chop the garlic and put in a small bowl with the oil
and vinegar. Add plenty of sea salt and black pepper. It’s basically a vinaigrette though a milder one than I
usually make. Give it a good stir with a teaspoon. I’d like this to rest and
infuse but there is no time. He’s hungry It will do.
Toast the bread - I think charred edges would bring out the
flavour. Pour the vinaigrette on the vegetables and toss gently. The boy thinks
the term ‘toss gently’ is hilarious.Not surprised. Place the toast on the plates
and spoon the veg over. He doesn’t mind having this much veg as he sees
this as a deconstructed sandwich. I
serve it straight away so the toast doesn’t have too much chance to get damp.
We’re having it with calamari rings flash fried with garlic,
white pepper and red chill -it's dressed with lemon juice and parsley. This is good enough that the calamari is the side rather than the main.
If we have this again this summer it will still be with
Vivaldi, but with some tomatoes, Basil
leaves, and some capers. The garlic in the
dressing will be smoked, it will have slightly more vinegar in homage to the
tomatoes. But the toast will still be crisp and not soggy and it will be just
as good.
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