I have nothing creative to add to this perfect salad.  I just wanted to share it with friends and family who can get better pineapple than I can.    If I was making it with a Maui pineapple I would skip the sugar, since Maui pineapples are already wonderfully sweet.  Also, in my fantasy I am grilling my Maui pineapple instead of doing it in my broiler.  Not that it is difficult to do it in the broiler, mind you.  Grilling is just more fun. I skip the raw red onion myself , which is probably some sort of sign that my palate is not sophisticated, but what can I say other than…I don’t like raw onion.  I added more lime juice, because I like limes.  This recipe makes me want to buy a copy of Gran Cocina Latina: The Food of Latin America for myself the next time I go on a cookbook purchasing spree.

I do have a wonderful menu to recommend!  Try this salad as a side dish to Pork chops in Boozy Jam Sauce made with Guava jam and rum.  Oh! OR serve it with shrimp sautéed in tons of garlic and butter! For a vegetarian meal serve this salad with Brazilian Black Bean Soup.  Make tiny, sloppy Guava Cream Cheese Tarts for dessert.  Hmmmm, maybe it’s time for me to throw a dinner party!

WATERCRESS SALAD WITH AVOCADO AND BROILED PINEAPPLE

from Gran Cocina Latina: The Food of Latin America by way of Food 52

• 2 bunches watercress, cleaned and trimmed of the thick stems
• 1 pineapple peeled, cored and thickly sliced
• 1 Tablespoon sugar (you could skip this with a Maui pineapple)
• 3 garlic cloves minced
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2 Tablespoons lime juice or cider vinegar (I actually used the juice of 1 small lime)
• 1/8 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 large or 2 small perfectly ripe avocados, cubed or sliced
• 1 small red onion slivered (I skipped this)

1. Place the pineapple slices in a single layer on a baking sheet.  Sprinkle them with sugar (if needed) and broil until they caramelize a bit.  In my broiler, this takes 10 minutes on the first side and five minutes on the second.   Let the pineapple cool a bit and cut it into chunks.
2. Combine the garlic, olive oil, lime juice, cumin, salt and pepper and use the mixture to dress the watercress.
3. Top the greens with the grilled pineapple, avocado and red onion (if you wish).  Serve immediately.

As you can see this mountain is actually a large sleeping lizard-like creature.

Some newly laid row covers and irrigation. Under the covers are radish and carrot seeds.

Jen my co-ordinator and Natalie the other apprentice at the farm.

I’m enjoying how many different jobs there are to do up here. I did a ton of seeding this week (more than 1600 seeds went into cells in the start house the other day), as well as helping the sheep get vaccinated and ready to go out onto pasture (catching sheep was fun. I like the sheep in general). My animal chore is to take care of the laying hens. There’s about 138 of them which includes a few roosters. First thing in the morning I go down and let them out of their wagons. There’s two large chicken tractors that they live in. These tractors get moved about every day. They’re in one of the pastures and are part of the fertility cycle of the fields. Then I feed them and give them water, try and keep an eye on them to see if anyone’s acting strange or has a gash from the roosters and collect the eggs. They’re producing about 90-100 eggs per day at this point. Most of them are in their first year so have good egg production. There are some older hens who have slowed down a bit and who’s eggs are usually a bit smaller. Most of the eggs are really big though and several each day are double yolkers. I also wash the eggs, put them into cartons, stock the egg fridge and write down how many eggs were produced that day. We wash the eggs because they may have bedding or animal matter on them still (read: poo). The eggs are a little shinier before they are washed and afterwards they have that classic matte “eggshell” look that we’re all used to. Jen, my co-ordinator, told me that if they were just keeping the eggs for house consumption they wouldn’t wash them off like this because when you wash the eggs you’re also washing away a natural protective layer on them that helps them to keep for a longer time. When you wash this off, it reveals a more porous layer of the eggs. Interesting, right? We have to wash them off though because of the health board and… well I guess people like clean eggs?

My favourite rooster. So handsome!

Later in the afternoon around 4 I go to check on the chickens again and collect any last eggs that may be there. There’s usually about 10-12 at that point, most of the laying happens first thing in the morning. I give them more water usually because it’s so hot (they are usually hanging out in the shadows cast by the wagons or any trees at this point). Then finally at twilight I go and close them up into the wagons for the night. If I go out late enough they are already all inside so this part is quite easy. It just requires timing.

Sheepies! In the back you can see the chicken tractors.

Herbal tea has started to be very appealing to me living out here as it’s one of the tastiest drinks readily available. Also the other apprentice here, Natalie, is quite knowledgable about the different plants you can use to make herbal tea and so I’ve been learning new things. I’ve been really enjoying anise hyssop tea. It is delicious and the flowers are beautiful and purple! They’ve been dried from last season. As you can imagine it tastes a bit liquorishy which is a flavour I very much enjoy. The other new tea that I’m sipping as I write this is danelion tea. It’s more earthy tasting than I would expect from a flower tea. There are just heaps of dandelions in bloom here right now. How you make the tea: You just pinch off the flowers of dandelions, enough to mostly fill the pot you’re using. Pour boiling water over. I’ve heard that steeping herbal tea for 15 minutes is the way to get the medicinal properties from the herb and not just the flavour. I’m not sure if this is true but why not. Also I don’t know the medicinal properties of these teas and I don’t have super easy internet access up here so you tell me!

Dried anise hyssop from last year. So good!

This will soon contain fresh dandelion tea.

Some pictures of baby animals to look at while you’re drinking your tea:

First day ever for these guys on the grass. Oooohhhhhhhh……

The tart pictured here was made with two small batches of rhubarb curd.  One turned out orange because of the good yellow yolks from the farm eggs I used.  One turned out pink because of the sad grocery store eggs I used.  I love the sunset-like visual quality that this created, but I would not go to any special trouble to recreate it  the next time I made this tart.  I would just make a full batch of pink curd using sad grocery store eggs with pale yolks.  Also, I had already eaten half of the orange batch of curd, because I lack self control, by the time I made this tart.  It would have been better with a slightly thicker layer of curd.  If you follow the recipe below and do not eat a bunch of the curd, you should have the right amount.

I used a 11 inch tart tin for this recipe.  I realize that this may not be a common item in everyone’s kitchen.  I did not mean to buy such a large tart tin.  I got it at the professional cake supply store on 22nd street in Manhattan.  In the midst of all of those grand baking supplies this tart tin looked like the right size.  Of course, when I got it into my tiny Brooklyn kitchen, I realized that I had actually purchased an enormous tart tin.  It’ll come in handy if I manage to magically produce a family of six in the next year or two.  In any case, I am pretty confident that you could half this and do it in a 9 inch tart tin.  Or, if you have a large crowd to feed, use the whole recipe and just do it in regular 9 by 12 baking dish.  I am personally okay with having a lot of this tart to eat at tea time for the next week.

RHUBARB CURD

• 1 and 1/2 pounds rhubarb (about 6 large stalks)
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 8 egg yolks (save the egg whites in the freezer to make a hazelnut financier, coconut chocolate cakes or a macadamia nut torte)
• 2/3 cup sugar
• the zest of 1/2 lemon
• the juice of 1/2 lemon
•  6 tablespoons butter, cut into chunks

1. In a small saucepan, combine the rhubarb with 1/2 cup water and 1/2 cup sugar.  Cook over medium low heart with the lid on, until the rhubarb is totally soft.  Puree the rhubarb mixture and set it aside to cool a bit
2. In a small, heavy bottom pot over medium heat, whisk together the egg yolks, sugar, lemon juice and lemon zest. Gradually add the rhubarb puree and switch to stirring with a wooden spoon, so as not to aerate the curd. Stir continually for 10-15 minutes, adjusting the heat as you go to ensure that it does not boil. Your curd is done when it has thickened and coats the back of the spoon.
3. Drop in the butter and stir until melted.
4. Position a fine mesh sieve over a glass or stainless steel bowl and pour the curd through it, to remove any bits of cooked egg. Sometimes, I can tell that it is smooth enough and I skip this step.

BUCKWHEAT ALMOND SHORTBREAD CRUST

• 2 cups almond meal (almond flour is the same thing.  You can also grind up blanched almonds yourself)
• 2 cups buckwheat flour
• 1/2 cup white granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup raw sugar or light brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 14 tablespoons cold butter, cut into chunks
• 1/4 cup cold water
• 1 large egg

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Combine the ingredients using a pastry cutter or a food processor.  It will be crumbly.
3. Whip the cold water and egg together in a small bowl and then stir it into the crumbly dough with a fork until it starts to hold together.
4. Transfer the dough into a tart tin and press it to line the bottom and sides evenly.  It will be quite thick.  Prick the crust all over with a fork.
5. Bake for 25-35 minutes or until the crust begins to brown
6. Spread the curd over the tart and smooth out the top and bake for another 10 minutes.
7. Let the shortbread cool and then refrigerate it for 20 minutes before serving.

 This recipe is for my mother.  She carried some of my gluten-free sourdough starter home in her checked luggage when she last visited me, and is now struggling to stay on top of a pet that demands that you bake every week!  Also, she was complaining about the cost of store bought gluten-free bread, so I hope this helps!

I recently made a really great lunch of avocado and smoked mackerel sandwiches on this sourdough served beside a bowl of  Watercress and Buttermilk Vichyssoise.  This bread has a sweet, nutty and sour flavour, a good crust and a moist crumb.  I am annoyed that it needs yeast as well as sourdough, but it is just too dense otherwise.  I use the same mix of flours here that I use for my gluten-free pizza dough , so it is worth it to me to mix it up in big batches.  This mix of flours is from Jennifer Katzinger’s Gluten-Free and Vegan Bread.  For my full thoughts on that book take a look at the gluten-free pizza dough  post.

LIGHT FLOUR MIX FOR YEASTED DOUGHS 

• 2 cups brown rice flour
• 2 cups tapioca flour
• 1 cup garbanzo flour (also sold as chickpea flour and besan)
• 1 cup millet flour
• 1 cup almond flour
• 3 teaspoons sea salt (depending on how much salt you like)
• 2 teaspoon xanthan gum

Thoroughly combine the brown rice flour, tapioca flour garbanzo flour, millet flour, almond flour, sea salt,  xanthan gum and yeast.   This will make about 7 cups of this mix.

GLUTEN-FREE SOURDOUGH BOULE

•  2 Tablespoons Chia seeds
• 1 cup room temperature water divided in half
• 2 teaspoons dry yeast
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• 4 Tablespoons olive oil
• 23 ounces ripe gluten-free sourdough starter (about 2 and 1/3 cups)
• 12 and 1/2 ounces (2 and 1/2 cups)  light bread flour mix (recipe above) OR
  • 3/4 cup brown rice flour
  • 3/4 cup tapioca flour
  • 1/3 cup millet flour
  • 1/3 cup garbanzo bean flour (also sold as chickpea flour and besan)
  • 1/3 cup almond meal
  • 2 tsp sea salt
  • 1 and 1/2 tsp xanthan gum

This vichyssoise  is based on this recipe.  Buttermilk and watercress balance each other out beautifully.  I used ramps instead of leeks and garlic because they are in season and delicious.   I used russet instead of white potatoes because I always have them in my pantry.  I used some experimental, economical vegetable stock instead of chicken stock.  If you go the vegetable stock route just make sure that it is a pale stock, since anything with a very dark color will spoil the lovely light green of the soup.  If you don’t have buttermilk use a good tart, plain yogurt and a bit of lemon juice!

If you are interested in acquiring exceptionally beautiful watercress and live in NYC, the green market at Union Square has really pretty bunches with the roots still on these days.   The tastiest watercress though, is the wild stuff sold at the Grand Army Plaza greenmarket in Brooklyn.  However, since the watercress gets pureed in this soup, it is fine to use the cheap little bunches that are often available at corner groceries sitting on a pile of crushed ice.  The corner store bunches have usually been so manhandled that they make a very sad looking salad, but they are just fine in this soup and you cannot beat the price!

WATERCRESS AND BUTTERMILK VICHYSSOISE

• 3 tablespoons of butter or olive oil
• 4 ramps, sliced (green onion or leeks would also work, just add some garlic as well)
• 3 large potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
• 4 cups of homemade chicken stock or vegetable stock
• 3 cups watercress, cleaned and trimmed of the thick stems
• 2 cups buttermilk (or tart yogurt with a bit of lemon juice)
• salt and pepper to taste

1. Heat the butter or oil in a soup pot over medium, low heat.  Add the ramps (or green onions and garlic).  
2. When the ramps are soft, but not browned, add the potatoes and stock, increase the hear and bring to a boil.  Decrease the heat a bit and simmer until the potatoes are soft.
3. Let the soup cool completely before adding the watercress.  Puree the mixture until it is totally smooth.  Add the buttermilk and season with salt and pepper.  Serve this soup chilled and garnished with some smoked fish and/or boiled quails eggs, if you are lucky enough to have some!

Technically, these cakes are financiers, a cake made with egg whites, melted butter and nut flour (a more classic example is this brown butter hazelnut buckwheat financier).  But Coconut flour does not behave like other nut flours.  It is very starchy and has an amazing ability to absorb liquid and create a fluffy texture.  The cakes have a bit of a chewy crust and nice slightly gooey center.  They have a terrific coconut flavour.

I tested them a few more times when I got home and discovered that they need to be quite small in order to cook all the way through without burning on the bottom.  I also discovered that the batter hold it’s shape really well, so if you are inclined to sculpt them into a fancy shape with a pastry bag the result is excellent!  Finally, these cakes taste better after a day (or two or three) if you can stop yourself from eating them right away!

TINY COCONUT CHOCOLATE CAKES (GLUTEN-FREE)

• 10 tablespoons butter
• 4 oz dark chocolate
• 1 and 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 cup coconut flour
• 1/2 teaspoon ground  cinnamon
• 1 cup egg whites (from 7 or 8 eggs)
• a pinch of salt

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and position a rack in the center of the oven.  Line a baking Sheet with parchment paper or lightly grease the sheet and dust it with rice flour.
2. Put the egg whites in a clean, dry, large bowl and leave them sitting out at room temperature while you prep the other ingredients.
3. Heat the butter over a medium-low flame in a small heavy bottomed sauce pan.  Keep your eye on it.  Eventually, the butter will foam up and the solids will sink to the bottom and turn a golden brown colour.  When this happens, strain the butter through a fine mesh sieve, add the chocolate chips to the warm browned butter and whisk until the mixture is melted and combined.
4. In a medium bowl, combine the coconut flour, cinnamon and half the sugar.
5. Add a pinch of salt to the room temperature egg whites and whip them until they form soft peaks.  Beat in the remaining cup sugar in a slow steady stream.  Continue beating, until the whites form soft peaks again.
6. Starting with the coconut sugar mixture, alternately fold the dry ingredients and cooled butter and chocolate mixture into the egg whites in 3 parts each.  Pipe or scoop out the little cakes making sure that each one is only about 1/4 cup batter.
7. Bake the cake for 20 minutes or  until a cake tester comes out of the center of the cakes clean. Allow them to cool before eating.  They are good by themselves or with whipped cream.

This recipe combines beans that originated in Peru with cooking techniques and spices from the Middle East AND the little green things that are starting to come out of the ground at this moment in New York State.  It used up a few delicious green spring herbs (ramps and sorrel) that I had enthusiastically purchased at the green market without a plan and a handful of beautiful dry beans that had been sitting on my shelf for far too long because they were almost too pretty to eat (Christmas Lima’s from Rancho Gordo), thus satisfying my spring cleaning urge a bit.   The recipe is from Plenty by Yotam Ottoglenghi.  I’ve said this before but it bears repeating…I love Ottoglenghi’s recipes because they turn out marvelously even though I never follow the recipe exactly.  This time, I used green spring garlic (ramps) instead of green onions and garlic, used light sesame oil instead of olive oil and didn’t actually measure anything!  This recipe calls for FOUR sour ingredients (Feta, Sorrel, Sumac and Lemon),  all of which I miraculously had on hand, but I am certain that if you had even two of these four ingredients the beans would be delicious!

FRIED LIMA BEANS WITH FETA, SORREL, SUMAC AND LEMON

adapted from Plenty by Yotam Ottoghenghi

• 1 pound dried lima beans (I cannot recommend Rancho Gordo Beans highly enough)
• 1 and 1/2 Tablespoons butter
• 4 Tablespoons olive oil (I used light sesame oil because  I was out of olive oil)
• 8  green onion sliced (I used ramps)
• 1 clove garlic, crushed (I used one more ramp)
• 2 fresh red chilies, thinly sliced (I didn’t have this so I skipped it)
• 5 cup sorrel cut in to thin strips (set some aside for garnish)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 and 1/2 Tablespoon lemons juice ( I used half a lemon)
• 5 oz of feta crumbled (I like Bulgarian feta because it is delicious and inexplicably less expensive)
• 2 tsp sumac
• a handful of chopped dill or chervil (I didn’t have these so I skipped it)

1. Soak the  beans overnight in a lot of water.
2. The next day, drain the beans and place them in a pot with enough water (I like to salt the water) to generously cover them.  Bring to a boil and cook for half an hour.  If your beans are older it may take up to an hour.  Drain the beans.
3. Heat the butter and oil in a very large skillet.  Fry the drained beans in batches so that they are in a single layer in the pan.  When they are blistered on both sides remove from the pan and fry the next batch.
4. When all the beans are done add them back to the skillet along with the ramps (or green onions and garlic) and chilies if you are using them and fry for another minute.
5. Season with salt, lemon juice and sumac.
6. Garnish with feta and the reserved fresh sorrel along with any other herbs you are tossing in.  Eat it!

1.  I have some sad bunch of green something that I did not use in a timely fashion, but cannot stand to throw away, so I make it into pesto.   The truth is, I do not buy fresh basil that often.  The sad green thing in my fridge is usually cilantro. Sometimes it is romaine lettuce.  Sometimes it is parsley…although parsley does keep longer than cilantro).  Why is cilantro sold in such big bunches?  Does anyone know?

2.  I know that I have to eat leafy greens other than swiss chard, but I cannot bring myself to do it.  Its true.  Sometimes I am secretly eight years old.  Basil does not count as leafy green…although maybe it could?

3.  I am going through one of my phases where I only feel like cooking potato pancakes, swiss chard and poached eggs for dinner and something must be added to break up the tedium.  I am only willing to take 15 minutes to prepare one thing that will make this dinner less boring for the entire week.  Trust me, it takes longer than 15 minutes to find fresh basil that is not pathetic in my neighborhood.

So, here are four weird pestos that I like to make.  Regardless of the ingredients the method is the same.  I like to chop my ingredients a bit before I process, but if you have nice big food processor you might be able to skip this step.  Blend everything up with a bit of the oil until a thick paste forms.  Add more oil gradually as you continue to blend, until it has reached the consistency that you desire (I leave mine pretty thick).  Taste and season with salt.

The quantities in these recipes are not super exact, but I will give this in the way of advice.  Go easy on the garlic and the cheese.  To much garlic will make your pesto hard to eat and too much cheese will make it bland.  You can always add more later if you like.  Also, if it does not taste good, it probably needs more salt.

I find that pesto keep for about a week in a glass mason jar in the fridge.

DANDELION HAZELNUT PESTO

Dandelion Hazelnut Pesto is from my new favourite cookbook Small Plates and Sweet Treats by Aran Goyoaga.  I encourage you to buy this cookbook.  Seriously, it is inspiring, beautiful and full of things I have never thought to cook (and I spend A LOT of time thinking about cooking).  You might think that dandelion greens are too intense and bitter for you, but you will be pleasantly surprised by this pesto.  It is good not only on potato pancakes and poached eggs but also dolloped onto any sort of roasted vegetable.  Basically it makes any sort of sweet, mild bland meal more exciting!

• 1 bunch of dandelion greens (about 4 oz or 2 cups)
• 1/4-1/3 cup hazelnuts
• 2-3 Tablespoons grated parmesan
• 1/2 – 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1 or 2 cloves of garlic

ROMAINE PESTO

Romaine pesto is light and herbal.  It uses up the last few leaves of lettuce in your crisper and tastes good with potato pancakes and poached eggs with slices of tomato.  I got it from a recipe for baked eggs on the excellent food blog Smitten Kitchen.  I find baked eggs to be a pain to make, but I love this pesto.

• 6 leaves of romaine, torn into  2 inch pieces
• 1 small garlic clove, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup  fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
• 1/4 cup finely grated parmesan
• about 1/4 cup  extra-virgin olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste

CILANTRO PESTO WITH SUNFLOWER SEEDS AND JALAPENO

This one is inspired by friend Kirsten who told me once about a cilantro, sunflower seed and jalapeno pesto that she made.  It sounded delicious and I made a mental note of the fact that I almost always have all of the ingredients for it kicking around in my pantry, especially cilantro.  It is good with potato pancakes,  poached eggs and avocado.

• 1 small bunch of cilantro
• 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded
• 1/4 – 1/3 cup toasted sunflower seeds
• 1/4-1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan
• salt and pepper to taste

KALE  PESTO WITH LEMON AND WALNUTS

My friend Kirsten also introduced me to raw kale pesto.  We work together pretty often and once we worked together on my birthday.  She brought me a totally amazing lunch from a gourmet shop that included a delicious kale pesto.  I like to try to reproduce this pesto when I am feeling like I don’t eat enough kale.  It is good on Sourdough bread, mashed potatoes, pasta and of course… potato pancakes with poached eggs!

• 1 small bunch of kale (stems cut out)
• a small handful of toasted walnuts
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan
• 2 small or 1 large clove of garlic
• 1/4-1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
• The juice of 1/2 a lemon
• salt and pepper to taste

This crust is a thicker variety and it does not get soggy under toppings.  It has a slightly sweet, nutty flavour.  I have used this crust to make my favourite elegant pizza (caramelized onion, potato, rosemary, fennel and goat cheese).  I have used it to make my favourite low brow pizza (pineapple and portuguese sausage).  I am pretty sure that it would even work for butternut squash and sage pizza, which I had declared so fancy that it deserved a better pizza crust than I could possibly muster.

This dough is deeply adapted from a Country Batard recipe from Gluten-Free and Vegan Bread by Jennifer Katzinger.  Sadly, I cannot recommend this book since most of the recipes I have tried from it have been tragic failures.  This is sad because although the recipes in the book are poorly tested, the flour mixes are really delicious and creative and the author offers some really interesting techniques for achieving a nice crust and using a high oven temperature to dispense with the need for long rising times.  If you decide to purchase this book, I urge you to print out the errata sheet from the author’s website.  I have to honest though, some of the recipes that failed for me are not even on that errata list and gluten-free flour is just WAY to expensive to waste on hinky recipes.

I use the same mix of flours for a Gluten Free Sourdough Boule as well, so I like to mix up a big batch of it.

LIGHT FLOUR MIX FOR YEASTED DOUGHS 

• 2 cups brown rice flour
• 2 cups tapioca flour
• 1 cup garbanzo flour (also sold as chickpea flour and besan)
• 1 cup millet flour
• 1 cup almond flour
• 3 teaspoons sea salt (depending on how much salt you like)
• 2 teaspoon xanthan gum

Thoroughly combine the brown rice flour, tapioca flour garbanzo flour, millet flour, almond flour, sea salt,  xanthan gum and yeast.   This will make about 7 cups of this mix.

A GOOD GLUTEN-FREE PIZZA CRUST

Adapted from the Country Batard recipe in Gluten-Free and Vegan Bread by Jennifer Katzinger

•  2 Tablespoons Chia seeds
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 cup brown rice flour
• 1 cup tapioca flour
• 1/2 cup garbanzo flour (also sold as chickpea flour and besan) Garfava flour also works
• 1/2 cup millet flour
• 1/2 cup almond flour
• 1 and 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon xanthan gum
• 2 and 3/4 tsp active dry yeast
• 1 cup room temperature water
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• 3 Tablespoons olive oil for the dough
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil for the pan

The flavour and texture of the salad is refreshing and complex, especially since it has so few ingredients!  You really do have to use good quality olives though.  No olives from a can!  My favourite olives to use in this salad are Castrelvetrano Sicilian olives which are bright green, very mild in flavour and easy to crush.  Cerignola olives also very, very good here.

One of the beautiful things about this salad is that you can make it year round since celery (god bless it) is always available.  I have served this salad along side Potato Pizza with Caramelized Onions, as a side dish with simply prepared fish, and in a buffet of summer salads when it became to hot to eat anything cooked.

This recipe is adapted from “Made in Sicily” by Giogio Locatelli  by way of the exemplary food blog Lottie and Doof.  I have adapted it further to suit my own taste and patience (or impatience) for meticulously cutting and measuring when it comes to making salads.

CRUSHED GREEN OLIVE SALAD WITH CELERY AND MINT

• About 1 cup of olives for each person 
• About 1 cup of diced celery for each person
• As much minced fresh mint as meets your fancy (a couple of sprigs per person)
• Fresh lemon juice from one lemon for every four people (the original recipe used wine vinegar)
• A splash of good extra virgin olive oil
• sea salt and pepper to taste

Smash the olives and remove the pits.  Toss the olives with the celery and minced mint.  Dress with lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper to taste.  If you want to extend this salad further you can use it as a topping for a green salad, just dress the lettuces with additional lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper.