South American Way

I have traveled to numerous countries in and around Europe but I have never traveled farther than that. There as so many places I want to see, cultures I want to experience, so many people I want to cross paths with. Traveling the world is a lifelong dream of mine, one that one day I hope to fulfill. I will surely need quite a lot of money though to do that, so I don't bet on it happening in the next decade or so.

Traveling is an experience that can ultimately change your perspective and view of life and of the world around you. An experience that can drag you out of your microcosm and introduce you to new ways of living, different ideas, possibilities and realities. Learning about other people, their customs and traditions, opens your mind and makes you more aware of the importance of diversity as well as individuality. I yearn for that kind of experience.






South America is a continent that really intrigues me and that I'm very eager to visit. I want to see the 13,000 year old stenciled images of hands in the Cueva de los Manos (Cave of the Hands) in Argentina, I want to see Machu Picchu, referred to as The Lost City of Incas, in Peru, I want to see the view of Rio de Janeiro from the Corcovado mountain and dance in a South American Way in Brazil, I want to navigate down the Orinoco river in Venezuela, I want to immerse myself deep in the Chilean wine country, tasting the wonderful wine it has to offer along the way.






Naturally I want to experience South American food in all its glory and exoticism. I want to eat ceviche, which is bite-sized pieces of raw fish or seafood marinated in citrus juices, salt and other seasonings, usually chilies. As the proper carnivore that I am, I want the complete asado experience in Argentina. Asado is a South American way of cooking different cuts of meat, mainly beef, in a grill or an open fire. I want to taste a feijoada in Brazil which is a bean, beef and pork stew. I want to get in touch with my inner vegetarian and devour authentic empanadas, which is stuffed pastry with lots of yummy vegetables. I want to walk the streets of Ecuador with a tamal in my hand, which is a packet of corn dough with a savory filling that is wrapped in banana leaves or corn husks and is either steamed or boiled. For dessert I think I will go with dulce de leche. Yeah, that sounds about right.






Dulce de leche. I love the way it rolls off the tongue. But what is it? Its name literally means milk candy and it is a thick caramel cream sauce. No, correction, it is a thick caramel cream sauce to die for.
I didn't discover dulce de leche by eating it in some little parador (restaurant) by the beach in Uruguay. No, the way I discovered it, was completely and utterly pedestrian. I was watching an Australian cooking show featuring South American recipes (that's one of the ways to have a culinary travel around the world) and I was smitten by the creamy caramel delight that the woman in the show was preparing and that she called manjar blanco, which I later found out is another name for dulce de leche. Oh, cajeta is another name for it too, and confiture de lait is how the French call it.






There are many ways of preparing dulce de leche though I've only tried one of them so far. You can use the painstaking method of stirring a mixture of milk and sugar in a pan for several hours until it becomes thick and creamy, the easier method of pouring sweetened condensed milk in a baking dish and cooking it in the oven until it's caramelized or, the easiest way of them all and my personal favorite, of simply boiling an unopened can of sweetened condensed milk in a pan, after you've made a couple of holes at the top (we don't want any explosions happening now, do we?) and leaving it in simmering water for 2-3 hours until it thickens. You need to check on it and add more water but it definitely beats the 3-hour stirring method.






Dulce de leche can be eaten just like that, out of the jar or drizzled on top of ice cream and pies but for me, right now, this is not enough. I need to take it a little further. I'm not content with just dulce de leche, I want something more luscious, I want a bit of variety, a bit of pizazz. I want the combination of dulce de leche, chocolate, and biscuit. And I found it all in this recipe. A mouthwatering recipe of a delicious dessert, candy, sweet, however you wanna call it.






By adding egg yolks, cream and dark chocolate to the caramel sauce, you transform the dulce de leche to a thicker, richer, deep-flavored chocolate-caramel cream that is so addictive you can't even fathom it. The shortbread crust makes an amazingly tasty and crumbly biscuit to rest the cream upon, creating a harmonious contrast of textures and the light sprinkling of fleur de sel (hand-harvested sea salt) on top completes the picture, creating a harmonious contrast of flavors.






Let me be totally honest here. This dessert is not an innocent one. Firstly, it takes a long time to prepare, secondly, it is full of calories and lastly, it's not the healthiest of sweets out there but it is one of the most exquisite and tasteful ones. At least to me it is. You have to make your own and weigh in on this.






I like cutting it into two-bite or even one-bite sized pieces because of its richness. When you offer a piece to someone, they will immediately get a whiff of caramel blended with a chocolate aroma. When they put it into their mouth, the real ride will begin. The crunch of the crumbly and buttery biscuit along with the scrumptious caramel cream, make the best first impression. The rich dark chocolate flavor hits first, accompanied by the subtle sharpness of the fleur de sel that balances the sweetness of it all. Finally, they'll sense the milky caramel and they'll be left with an aftertaste of buttery and caramel-y enchantment. They'll want more and more and so will you. It is worth the effort and the calories, believe me.











Bars of Chocolate Dulce de Leche with Shortbread Crust and Fleur de Sel
Adapted from Gourmet

It is best that you prepare this dessert during the weekend as it is rather time-consuming to make. You can make ahead the dulce de leche, keep it in the fridge and make the dessert another day.
I would advise you to use good quality dark chocolate for better results and make sure you use sweetened condensed milk for the dulce de leche and not evaporated milk. They are not the same.
I suppose you can buy ready-made dulce de leche, though I've never found or even looked for it myself. Making your own is by far better.
The recipe calls for 310 g of dulce de leche. I used a 400 g milk can which left me with 370 g of dulce de leche. You can certainly use a larger can, keeping the rest of the dulce de leche for later use.
I love what the addition of fleur de sel has to offer to the flavor of this dessert but it is great even without it. After all, it's a matter of personal taste. So feel free not to use it if you don't fancy it.







Yield: 35 bars / 370 g of dulce de leche

Ingredients

for dulce de leche
one 400 g can of sweetened condensed whole milk

for shortbread crust
115 g unsalted butter, softened, plus extra for greasing the pan
75 g soft light brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
150 g all-purpose flour

for chocolate dulce de leche
310 g dulce de leche
250 ml cream, full fat
5 medium-sized egg yolks, at room temperature
145 g dark 60% good quality chocolate, finely chopped

Fleur de sel for sprinkling on top (optional)

Special equipment: a shallow square baking pan (22 x 22 cm)

Preparation

for dulce de leche
Remove the label from the milk can and make two small holes on opposite sides at the top, with the help of a can opener or with a clean nail and a hammer. This is extremely important so do not skip this step. If you don't pierce these holes there is a great possibility that the can will explode while boiling.

Place the can inside a small pot and fill it with water up to 1.5 - 2 cm from the top of the can. Do not fill it all the way up because while the water simmers, it might get inside the milk can through the small holes. Do not fill it lower than that because the milk at the upper part of the can will not thicken.

Turn heat on to high and once the water starts to boil, lower heat so that you can maintain the water at a simmer. The process of making the dulce de leche will take up to 3 hours. You will have to keep checking the level of the water in the pot every 15 minutes or so. The water must always be 1.5 - 2 cm from the top of the can so keep adding hot water, preferably from a water kettle, so that it doesn't stop simmering.

There will be some rattling noise during the boiling of the can so keep that in mind. Some milk will probably be coming out of the small holes while boiling. You can scoop it up with a spoon so that it doesn't drip into the simmering water.

After 3 hours have passed, turn the heat off and remove can from the pot using tongs. Place can on a rack to cool. Do not open the can straight away.
After it has cooled, open the can carefully and empty its content into a bowl. You will notice that at the top of the can, the milk will be more fluid and light in color and at the bottom, there will be thicker chunks, with a darker caramel color. Whisk the content in the bowl until you have a homogeneous thick cream.




Note: If you boil the can for 2 hours you will have a soft dulce de leche. If you boil it for 3 hours you will have a firm dulce de leche and if you boil it for 4 hours you will have a very thick dulce de leche.

You will need 310 g of dulce de leche to make the bars. You can store the rest in a jar in the refrigerator for 1 month.

If you want to use some, you can scoop it out of the jar with a clean spoon, heat it in the microwave or in a small saucepan and use it on top of ice creams, muffins or pies.

for shortbread crust
Butter the baking pan. Line the bottom and its sides with baking paper, leaving an overhang, and then butter the baking paper.

Preheat your oven to 190 degrees Celsius.

In a large bowl, place the butter, sugar, salt and vanilla extract and blend together with a fork. Then sift in the flour and blend again with the fork. Using your hands, bring everything together to form a soft dough. Do not knead the dough.

Place dough in the baking pan and spread it evenly using the back of a spoon or an offset spatula. Then prick dough all over with a fork, which will prevent the dough from rising while baking.

Place baking pan on the middle rack of the oven and bake for 15-18 minutes or until shortbread has taken on a golden color.
Take shortbread out of the oven and place the pan on a wire rack to cool completely. This will take about 30 minutes. Don't take the shortbread out of the pan.

for chocolate dulce de leche
In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the egg yolks.

Heat dulce de leche and cream in a small, heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon until dulce de leche has completely dissolved, and bring to a simmer. Drip very slowly the hot mixture into the egg yolks, whisking continuously. At this point you must be extremely careful so the mixture doesn't turn into scrambled eggs. Then return mixture to the saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until you can see the bottom of the pan in the tracks of the spoon. This means that by now you will have a thick mixture. Be careful not to burn it.

Remove pan from heat and add the chocolate pieces, whisking until they melt.

Assemble bars
Pour chocolate dulce de leche on top of the cooled shortbread (while still in the pan) and spread it around by gently tapping the pan on your work surface. Put the pan in the refrigerator, uncovered, and let it chill for at least 2 hours. It is even better if you chill it for 4-5 hours as it will get firmer and thus easier to cut.

In order to loosen the sides of the cold dessert, run a knife around the edges of the pan, take it out along with the baking paper and place it on a cutting board. Using a large serrated knife (I used a bread knife) cut it into seven equal strips and then into 35 bars. In between cuts, immerse the knife in hot water and wipe it clean so that the bars will be cleanly cut.

Keep bars in the refrigerator until it is time to serve them.
Before serving, sprinkle a little fleur de sel on top of the bars (if you wish).

They can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days at most.

Dreamy savory muffins

I've been having some pretty bizarre dreams lately. Some have such an elaborate storyline that remind me of a Hollywood production. Some have elements that are so disconnected from each other that they seem like excerpts from a scattered life lived in my own little dream land. All of them incredibly vivid, all of them making it hard for me to wake up in the morning. I feel like I've been sleeping a lot but not getting any rest.

I consider dreams to be a straightforward reflection of my waking concerns, things that preoccupy me in my social life. I'm not the kind of person who gives unnecessary explanations and meaning to simple dreams or rush to interpret them. Freud would be furious at me for this, I know.






I've read somewhere that dreams have been responsible for numerous inventions, scientific discoveries, works of art, books. It is said that Mary Shelley dreamt up the story of Frankenstein. That to me is amazing. You can just fall asleep and let your mind do all the work for you without you even trying.






Well, my dreams, however complicated or strange they may be, have yet to lead me to a momentous discovery or a noteworthy idea for a book. But they do sometimes lead me to great food or rather the yearning for it. Perhaps it's the fact that I'm a bit greedy at times but every now and then I dream about food. I've had dreams that I'm baking cakes, always chocolate cakes, that I'm gobbling an enormous souvlaki bought at an Athens street vendor near the house I grew up in, I've even had a dream once that I was at a family gathering where the centerpiece at the dining table was a humongous bird, supposedly a chicken, with crispy skin. I kid you not. These are dreams I've actually had and I'm not afraid, or embarrassed, to admit it. Do any other people have dreams like that, I wonder, or is it just me?






Now, these muffins here, I have not dreamt about but they are indeed dreamy. They are not sweet muffins, these are savory ones made with some delectable ingredients guaranteed to produce a spectacular result. Cheese, eggs, dried figs, milk, herbs, flour. Mix them all together and you end up with a splendid array of fluffy and light muffins.






Greece ranks second in the world in the production of figs and I can attest to the fact that they are absolutely delicious. I practically lived off the stuff each end of summer while I was growing up. There was an old huge fig tree in the back yard of our summer house near the sea and every kid in a two kilometer radius came to feed off those glorious fruit. We would climb up the branches of the tree, shaking them fiercely to release the ripe fruit and then we would greedily eat them, one after the other. I was lucky that I could find Greek dried figs in Holland because my muffins wouldn't be the same without them.






The batter is a usual one for muffins. Eggs, milk and flour but the rest of the ingredients are the ones that make all the difference. The cheese of choice for these muffins is Gruyère. Gruyère is a hard yellow cow's milk cheese originating from Switzerland that is most commonly used for fondue. While I was baking the muffins, my little expat kitchen filled with the aroma of melting cheese and for a moment I thought I was baking a cheese pie. But no, it was something far better than that.






The nutty and slightly tart flavor of the Gruyère and its creamy texture balances perfectly with the sweetness of the dried figs and the earthy flavor of the fresh herbs. The cheese melts beautifully inside and around each muffin, taking on a golden brown color as it bakes in the oven. The eggs help the muffins puff up but once taken out of the oven they fall down a little, creating a cute dent in the middle. They are so unbelievably light in texture that you'd think there's no flour in them. No stodginess whatsoever. Specks of green from the fresh rosemary and thyme make their appearance once you bite into the muffin and the crunch of the small sweet fig seeds make their presence known in between your teeth.







These are better eaten within the same day that you bake them, preferably straight out of the oven. They are perfect for breakfast or for a Sunday brunch with fresh orange juice, served on a champagne glass for a touch of luxury, but I also love having them in the evening as a snack, while watching a movie, with a glass of white sweet Riesling wine, a rose Gewürztraminer or a big glass of lager beer. I'm sure you won't be able to resist them and you'll end up nibbling on them all day long so by nighttime they'll be long gone. They're that enticing!










Savory Muffins with Gruyère Cheese, Dried Figs, Rosemary and Thyme
Adapted from Dina Nikolaou

The original recipe calls for the Greek cheese Graviera but unfortunately I couldn't find any in Holland. Gruyère though is excellent for this recipe, if not better. In case you cannot find Gruyère or Graviera I would suggest you use Swiss Emmental which is a great substitute.
If you have trouble finding fresh rosemary or thyme you can use dried. Instead of 1 tsp of each herb use 1/2 tsp.







Yield: 16 muffins

Ingredients
3 medium-sized eggs
180 ml (3/4 cup) olive oil, plus a little extra for greasing the muffin pan
240 ml (1 cup) whole milk
160 g self-rising flour
1 tsp baking powder
200 g Gruyère cheese, grated
160 g dried figs, chopped
1 tsp fresh rosemary leaves, chopped
1 tsp fresh thyme leaves, chopped
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp freshly ground mixed peppercorns (black, green, white, pink)

Special equipment: one or two 12-cup muffin pans, paper liners (optional)

Preparation
Preheat your oven to 180 degrees Celsius.

In a large bowl, crack open the eggs, add the milk and olive oil and beat lightly with the help of an egg beater. Then whisk in the flour, salt and baking powder. You will end up with an almost runny batter.

Add the grated cheese, chopped dried figs, herbs and pepper to the batter. Mix well with a rubber spatula, making sure the figs get well coated with the batter. This will keep them from sinking to the bottom of the muffin pan cups.

Pour 3-4 drops of olive oil in each muffin cup and brush it all over the inside of each cup to prevent the muffins from sticking to the pan. Alternatively you can place paper liners in each cup.
Fill each cup about 3/4 full with the batter, using a spoon.

Bake, on the middle rack of the oven, for 25-30 minutes or until when inserting a knife in the middle of the muffin it comes out clean. The muffins must have a nice golden brown color when you take them out of the oven.

Let them cool in the pan for a while and then place them on a wire rack.

Refill the same muffin pan or use another if you have and continue baking the rest of the muffins.

The muffins are best eaten on the same day they're made but you can also eat them the following day. Keep them lightly covered with tin foil at room temperature.

Dancing salmon

Nature is so weirdly fascinating. Just watch the Discovery channel and you'll see. Strange-looking bugs, amazingly intelligent primates, deadly sea creatures, flamboyant birds, exotic vegetation in faraway lands. All with their own distinct characteristics, way of life, way of survival.

Salmon are extraordinary fish. They are born in fresh water streams and continue to develop there, until they are able to survive in salt water. That's when they migrate to the open seas, where they spend as many as eight years sexually maturing and exercising their skills of survival. Their predators are bigger fish and of course us, constantly fishing for them. Guided by their acute sense of smell, they head back to fresh water to lay their eggs, most of them trying to return to their native rivers to reproduce. They swim upstream, for hundreds of kilometers, jumping through waterfalls and navigating through tricky obstacles.






Looking at salmon swimming upstream they seem so graceful and determined. They look like they're doing an elegant dance; and that reminds me of a song I absolutely love and... dance to. The salmon dance. The video is really funny and... aquatic.






I admire salmon for all their persistence and will to secure the future of their species, but you know what else? I love how they taste too. Salmon is one of my favorite fish to eat. It's unbelievably delicious; probably that's why it is preferred even by people who don't particularly enjoy fish. Its firm flesh makes it so versatile. You can grill it, bake it, fry it, steam it or even smoke it and the flesh will remain firm and juicy. It's very difficult to dry out salmon because it's a very oily fish and if yours does dry out, well you're doing something wrong.






Let's not forget that salmon is incredibly good for you. It's highly nutritious, full of vitamin D, Omega-3 fatty acids, proteins and magnesium. But salmon is not always good for the wallet. It's a bit pricey but totally worth it as far as I'm concerned. You're not gonna have it every single day anyway. Especially here in Holland where a good rib-eye steak costs almost double that of a huge salmon steak, it's a good choice. Not to mention a healthier one.






One of the ways I prefer cooking salmon is by simply dry-frying it. Take a non-stick skillet, heat it over medium-high heat, season the salmon with salt and pepper and cook it for five minutes on each side. Since it is so oily, you don't need any extra fat. All you need is a squeeze of lemon on top and you're set. Along with a leafy salad, it's the perfect meal, especially if you're watching your weight.






If, on the other hand, you want to indulge yourself a little, there is another way, a bolder way, a tastier way and ultimately a better way to cook salmon. And that is what I'm offering you here. A mouthwatering recipe involving fish, booze and a veg. Not any booze and not any veg. Ouzo and fennel. I've talked about ouzo before, the traditional Greek spirit with the anise flavor that captures the heart of anyone who tries it. Now pair this with fennel -the mediterranean delight of vegetables that's so aromatic and pungent- and the lovely pink salmon and you get a dish made in heaven.






There is a triple threat of fennel here. Fennel bulb, fennel fronds, fennel seeds. Needless to say that if you're not a fennel fan, now is the time to say goodbye. Or is it? I believe you should try this dish. You might be persuaded and even become a fennel lover. The combination of flavors is superb. You probably think that all you're going to taste is the anise flavor, right? Wrong! I was a bit apprehensive myself about the result but the fennel, cooked in a mixture of olive oil and butter, does not overpower the fish. When the dish is right in front of you, you can immediately smell the delicate liquorice-like aroma of fennel paired with the sweetness of the luscious salmon and then you take the first bite. The mellow oiliness of the firm fleshed fish along with the smooth butteriness of the fennel, make each bite a pure pleasure. After each mouthful, you sense the subtle flavor of anise as an aftertaste rather than a principal savor.






Accompany the dish with a bowl of basmati rice or any other long grain rice you prefer and of course with a small glass of ouzo. I like adding a little water in my ouzo, transforming it from a transparent to a milky color and making it a little lighter.










Pan-Fried Salmon Fillets with Sautéed Fennel and Ouzo
Adapted from Bon Appétit

I rarely cook fish with butter so this is an exception for me. The first time I made this I used only butter but the dish was rather heavy, so the second time I opted for the addition of olive oil and a cut-down on the amount of butter. The addition of olive oil also prevents the burning of the butter so there is also a practical advantage in using it. You can still use only butter if you prefer, just add an extra tablespoon to the recipe.
In case you can't find ouzo, you can substitute with tsipouro, pastis, or sambuca.







Yield: 2 main-course servings

Ingredients
2 salmon fillets, skinless and boneless, 180-200 g each
1 1/2 tsp fennel seeds
45 g unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 tsp olive oil
2 Tbsp shallots, minced
1 large fennel bulb with fronds
2 Tbsp fennel fronds, chopped, plus extra to serve
1/2 cup water
2 Tbsp ouzo
Salt
Freshly ground white pepper

Preparation
Bring salmon to room temperature 10-15 minutes before cooking.

Cut fennel bulb lengthwise into 4 wedges, cut away the root and fronds and then cut the wedges into 0.5 cm-thick slices.

Place the fennel seeds in a large non-stick skillet and dry-fry* them over medium-high heat, stirring them around constantly, until they become fragrant, for about 1 1/2 minutes. Be careful not to burn them. Remove them from the skillet and let them cool. Using a mortar and pestle or a spice grinder, crush or grind the fennel seeds until they become almost powder.
Place the crushed seeds in a small bowl along with the butter, shallots, 1 Tbsp of the fennel fronds, salt and pepper. Mix well with a spoon until you have a smooth mixture.

In the same skillet that you used to dry-fry the fennel seeds, heat 1 Tbsp of the butter mixture and 1 tsp olive oil over medium heat. When the butter has melted, add the sliced fennel bulb and 1/4 cup of water. Cover and cook for about 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until fennel is tender. Uncover the skillet and sauté for about 5 minutes, stirring often, until fennel starts to brown. Transfer fennel to a plate and set aside.

Rinse salmon fillets under running water and pat then dry. Sprinkle them with salt and white pepper on both sides. In the same skillet, heat 1 Tbsp of the butter mixture and 1 tsp olive oil over medium heat and once butter has melted, add the salmon fillets. Cover and cook for 5 minutes. Then turn salmon fillets over and add 1/4 cup of water to the skillet. Cover and continue cooking until the salmon is just opaque in the center, for about 5 minutes.

Slide salmon fillets to one side of the skillet and return the sautéed fennel to the skillet. Add ouzo, the remaining butter mixture and the remaining 1 Tbsp fennel fronds. Stir to heat fennel through.

Take two plates and divide fennel mixture between them. Place the salmon fillets on top and spoon over the remaining butter and olive oil sauce.

Serve immediately, sprinkling with some more fennel fronds.




*Toasting or dry-frying whole spices before grinding them intensifies the flavors.

Strawberry fields forever

The sense of smell is such a powerful sense. It can make you travel a thousand miles away with the whiff of a perfume reminiscent of the Orient. It can make you travel years back when you suddenly smell the essence of vanilla coming out of a bakery, reminding you of your mother in the kitchen, making you your favorite honey doughnuts on a sunny morning.

Sweet smell, spicy smell, the smell of fruit, the smell of freshness...
Don't you love the smell of all things fresh? From freshly cut tulips and the pure smell of a newborn baby to the clean scent of soft, fluffy clothes straight out of the dryer and a bunch of chopped herby mint. From the smell of a hot and crunchy bread loaf baking in the oven to the sweet smell of tomatoes that hits you when you cut into them with a big knife. Of all fresh smells though, the one I love the best is that of strawberries.






I remember when I was little, the feeling I got when my mother brought home from the market the first strawberries of spring. I'd get so excited. The smell of those sweet strawberries, their incredible red color, their cute little yellow seeds; it was my favorite fruit in the whole wide world. I'd put my share of strawberries in a bowl, I'd sprinkle them with more than enough sugar, I'd take a large spoon that could barely fit into my mouth and after a minute or two they'd be gone. Strawberry juices running down the side of my mouth and in my face you could clearly read the feeling of satisfaction. Such satisfaction.






Even now, that's the best way for me to enjoy strawberries. I've come to know, cook and experiment with a lot of strawberry recipes over the years but my first instinct as soon as I lay eyes on them, is to smother them with sugar and eat them on the spot. Well, that and the urge to make a strawberry daiquiri. No patience for elaborate strawberry mousses or cakes here but instant gratification.






I recently discovered another way to use fresh strawberries that's so inspiring, so healthy and more importantly, so unbelievably tasty. Strawberry dressing over a crisp, slightly bitter rocket salad with feta cheese. It is amazing. This past week it has become my number one salad. And as long as I can find strawberries this season, this will definitely be a regular around here.






This salad has a wonderful combination of flavors. The bitterness of the rocket along with the sharpness of the feta might be enough for some. But add to the mix the awesome taste of the dressing and this salad becomes the mother of all salads. The sweet tang of strawberries, the zing of the lemon and the richness of the olive oil along with the pepperiness of the ginger and the welcomed addition of honey, make this creamy dressing a beautiful and delicious concoction.






Accompany this salad with some bread and you have the perfect lunch. Have it for a special dinner together with a bowl of pasta Bolognese and a bottle of a young Chilean red wine; the rare variety of Carmenere grape would be the best choice.






This strawberry dressing is thick and substantial and above all very versatile. You can use it not only on top of salads but on top of your favorite white cheese, on top of a cheese tart or a Greek tyropita (cheese pie) and it goes tremendously well drizzled generously on top of shrimp or fresh lobster. Yum!






By the way, did you know that strawberries are the only fruit that has its seeds on the outside?










Rocket Salad with Feta and Strawberry Dressing
Adapted from Gastronomos magazine

You can use spinach instead of rocket for this salad. I would recommend using baby spinach which is more tender and less stringy and doesn't need to be blanched before eaten.







Yield: 1 salad for two / 1 cup of strawberry dressing

Ingredients
80 g fresh rocket leaves
100 g feta cheese, cut into small cubes

for strawberry dressing
200 g fresh strawberries, washed, hulled and cut in half
3 Tbsp lemon juice, freshly squeezed
1/2 tsp lemon zest
1 heaped tsp clear honey
1 tsp fresh ginger, grated
1/4 cup olive oil
A pinch of freshly ground black pepper
A pinch of salt

Special equipment: food processor or blender and a fine sieve


Preparation

for strawberry dressing
Put the washed, hulled strawberry halves in the food processor or blender and process them for 1 minute until they become a purée. Pass the purée through a fine sieve and into a bowl, using a spatula to force all of it through the sieve and leaving the small seeds behind. Place the seedless strawberry purée back into the food processor and add the rest of the ingredients. Process everything for 1 minute until you have a homogeneous mixture.

You can either store the dressing in a tightly closed jar in the fridge for later use or use it immediately.

for salad
Wash the rocket leaves and put them in a salad spinner or just leave them in a colander to drain off excess water and then place them in a salad bowl or large plate. Scatter feta cubes on top of the rocket leaves and drizzle the strawberry dressing on top of everything. Use as much or as little as you wish.

Serve salad.

Note: Depending on whether your strawberries are ripe or not, you may want to use more or less of the lemon juice and honey. If strawberries are not so ripe then use a little more honey, if they are too ripe then use a little more lemon juice. Taste along the way.

You can keep the dressing in the refrigerator for a couple of days in an airtight container.