FOOD:Salads featuring Parma ham and mozzerella are a good way to cling on to summer
IT’S FUNNY HOW things come in droves – just look at the recent releases of three movies about Coco Chanel (albeit one was only for the telly). So it seemed that everywhere I turned I was surrounded by images and recipes for salads containing Parma ham, mozzarella, and nectarines or peaches. There were variations, of course, but it is clear that people writing recipes towards the end of summer are desperate to cling on to the last days of the season, myself included. Anyway, I can assure you I am in no way trying to pass this off as an original creation. It just seems a good time of year to eat this type of salad.
This is not even much of a recipe – it’s more an assembly of nice things to eat than a how-to. It just seems a good combination of ingredients. I find that some mozzarella can be a bit rubbery, while others can be soft and gooey, barely holding their shape once drained. I like to marinate most mozzarella, once drained and sliced, in some olive oil with a little sea salt, black pepper, a sprig of thyme and a garlic clove. It’s even better if you can do this at room temperature for an hour before assembling the salad. It really makes a difference to the mozzarella, making it incredibly unctuous. Of course, you can slice it up and marinate it in the fridge overnight, but the olive oil tends to solidify, and it can get too gel-like and oily, and fall apart. Best to do it for between 15 minutes and an hour, right before serving and assembling. Also, the olive oil won’t go to waste, as you can use it as the basis for the dressing.
I like the chickpea and aubergine salad, as it’s quick and tasty – a bit of a meal in itself. I often add a bunch of baby spinach to it and let it just wilt through at the end, so it really is a complete dish. I know I should be soaking pulses, but I never seem to be that organised, so my cupboards are full of tinned chickpeas and tinned tomatoes, which are always good standbys for last-minute suppers. If you want to use dried chickpeas that you’ve soaked overnight and boiled a few times, then all I can say is: “Respect.”
Nectarine, mozzarella and Parma ham salad (serves four)
2 balls of buffalo mozzarella
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
Sprig of thyme
1 clove of garlic, peeled
1 punnet of cherry tomatoes
4 nectarines/peaches
Juice of 2 lemons
Big bunch of basil
8-12 slices of Parma ham
Mixed leaves
Drain and slice the buffalo mozzarella, and lay out flat in a bowl. Drizzle generously with some olive oil, and season well. Add the thyme and garlic, and marinate overnight, or – preferably – at room temperature for 15 minutes to an hour. You can turn the slices over so they get doused with olive oil and move the garlic around. Slice the cherry tomatoes in half, and cut the nectarines into eighths. In a bowl, gently mix the cherry tomatoes and fruit slices with some lemon juice, salt and pepper. Drizzle generously with the olive oil from the mozzarella.
On a big platter or four individual plates, lay out basil leaves and mixed leaves. Plop the Parma ham around the plates, and add the mozzarella slices. Add the peaches and tomatoes on top. Serve at once.
Roast chickpea and aubergine salad (serves four)
2 x 400g tins of cooked chickpeas, drained
50ml olive oil
Salt and black pepper
1 aubergine, diced
1 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp Hoisin sauce
1 tsp sweet chilli sauce
Small bunch of coriander, finely chopped
Squeeze of lemon juice
Clove of garlic, peeled and crushed
Bag of baby spinach (optional)
Pre-heat grill to its highest setting. Place the drained chickpeas on a roasting tray, and pour half the olive oil over them. Season with salt and pepper, and grill for about 20 minutes. Roast the chickpeas on a fairly high shelf, but do keep an eye on them. Meanwhile, heat up the remaining olive oil in a large frying pan, and fry the aubergine over a high heat until it starts to brown. The aubergine will absorb the oil very quickly, but don’t bother adding more, as it is like sponge, and will just end up saturated with oil.
Add a drop more oil (but only if you really have to – that is, if it is really dry and just not browning), turn up the heat again and add the sauces. Cook for a further five minutes. Check the seasoning, and add a squeeze of lemon juice, the garlic and spinach. Check the chickpeas – when they are slightly crunchy on the outside but still fairly soft in the middle, they are ready to be mixed with the aubergine. Mix well and serve with the coriander sprinkled on top. dkemp@irishtimes.com
See also www.itsa.ie
