Ambrosia Stitches

This afternoon I stopped at one of the trucks selling fruit and vegetables at the side of the road. I wanted to buy a couple of punnets of strawberries. As usually happens, the man asked if I’d rather buy a whole crate.  I told him that as there was only two of us, we would struggle to consume such a huge amount before they went off. He told me he understood and then offered me four punnets for €3. I couldn’t say no to such a bargain, so that was how I went home with the pile of strawberries pictured above. €3 – c’mon!!

Anyway, it gives me the opportunity to share my most recent salad recipe. Balsamic Strawberries and Goats Cheese salad has replaced our winter orange salad as our “go to” supper recipe. Well, it became a staple, once we found a reliable goats cheese supply! If you go to a Formaggeria and ask for goats cheese you are usually offered Pecorino, which for starters, is Ewe’s cheese and isn’t the right texture for this salad.  Once we figured that one out, there was no stopping us!

Balsamic Strawberries and Goats Cheese Salad (serves 2)

• 1 punnet of strawberries, cut into halves or quarters depending on their size.
• 125g goats cheese (a reasonably firm cheese with a soft rind is ideal).
• A couple of tablespoons of balsamic vinegar.
• 10-12 torn leaves of a large lettuce (go for a lettuce with fairly crisp, crunchy leaves).
• Olive oil.
• Salt and pepper

Place the strawberries in a bowl and sprinkle over the balsamic vinegar.  Leave in the fridge for 10 minutes.  Chop the goats cheese into smallish bite-size chunks and add to the strawberries, combine and season.  Lay the torn lettuce leaves on top of the strawberries and goats cheese. Drizzle over a few glugs of olive oil and then, with a large spoon, gently reach the bottom of the bowl and scoop the strawberries and goats cheese to combine with the lettuce. Serve immediately.