Summer Salsa

Okay Okay Okay. I know all my recent posts have been about food, but I have spent these glorious summer months making the most of the garden and entertaining whenever possible.  I love menu planning and designing a table setting, using seasonal homegrown produce and a sympathetic colour scheme.

I found the recipe for this quick and delicious starter in the May edition of House & Garden and tried it out for the very first time at the weekend.  As I was on a tight timescale sourcing the burrata and balsamic pearls was a challenge too far.  Even a visit to a local Waitrose did not prove fruitful and I suspect on-line shopping is the only solution in this instance. With this in mind I used the suggested alternatives of buffalo mozzarella and balsamic glaze, both sourced from Sainsburys. I also cheated and bought chopped parsley.
Ingredients

• 75g pine nuts
• 40g bunch of flat-leaf parsley
• 175g soft dried figs
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon balsamic pearls, or balsamic glaze
• 3 burrata or buffalo mozzarella

Method

1. Place the pine nuts in a frying pan and toast over a low heat for 4-5 minutes until golden brown. Place in a mixing bowl and leave to cool.
2. Roughly chop the dried figs and stir in the parsley and pine nuts along with the olive oil and balsamic glaze. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
3. To serve, place the burrata or mozzarella on a serving plate and scatter over the fig, nut and parsley salsa. Add a few salad leaves and ciabatta bread.

This proved to be a popular and tasty starter that was followed by roast rib of beef and Yorkshire pudding, with roast potatoes, butter roast parsnips,  homegrown peas, carrots and runner beans, and gravy.  Dessert was a choice of homemade cherry pie served with ice cream, or hot chocolate brownie with fresh strawberries & cream. Yummy!
Totally sated we retired to the summer house where I let my attention turn to the design projects which I have scheduled for the winter months.