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Sunday 9 August 2020

Italian Salads : Gino D'Acampo

Gino D’Acampo says Italian salad recipes tend to be pretty basic, unlike their British and American counterparts. Instead of trying to force in as many ingredients as possible, Italians use simple, fresh individual ingredients designed to provide a refreshing accompaniment to the main meal. Almost all Italian salads use extra virgin olive oil as the essential ingredient as well as white, red or balsamic vinegar. 

There are dozens of recipes for Italian salads to choose from, including Insalata Fantasia, a rocket, pomegranate and pine nut salad, Panzanella, or as Gino calls it the ‘ultimate’ tomato, pepper, artichoke and bread salad and a red pepper, Taleggio cheese and courgette salad. Of course, where Italian salad recipes are concerned, almost anything goes! Here are just two!

INSALATA DI FAGIOLINI


INGREDIENTS
400g fine French beans
70g sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained and sliced
50g shelled walnuts
5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
130g feta cheese
2 buffalo Mozzarella balls, drained and cut into chunks
salt and pepper

METHOD
Trim 1⁄2cm from both ends of the beans, then cook in a large pan of boiling salted water for about 5 minutes until al dente. Drain well and place in a large bowl.

Lightly toss the hot beans with the sun-dried tomatoes, walnuts, extra virgin olive oil and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper and leave to cool.

Once the beans have cooled, crumble in the feta and gently mix in the Mozzarella. Serve immediately.


Once you’re done, simply sit back and enjoy your French beans with sun-dried tomatoes, feta and mozzarella

INSALATA DI SGOMBRO AFFUMICATO CON ARANCE E FINOCCHI


INGREDIENTS:

Serves Six
FOR THE SALAD
3 Oranges, preferably red or blood oranges)
1 Fennel bulb, cored & thinly sliced
1 Red onion, peeled & thinly sliced
30g Black olives, pitted & halved
2 Celery sticks, thinly sliced
30g Pine nuts
2 (around 200g in total) Smoked mackerel fillets, skinned
To taste Freshly ground black pepper
FOR THE DRESSING
2 tablespoons Red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon Runny honey
6 tablespoons Extra virgin olive oil
To taste Salt

METHOD
First peel and segment the oranges. Using a sharp knife, cut off about 1-2cm from the top and bottom of the fruit. Place the fruit on one of its flat ends and cut down to remove the skin and white pith. Rotate and repeat, working your way around the fruit until the flesh is completely exposed. 

Working over a large bowl, cut between the flesh and the white membrane to free the segments. Discard the membrane and put the segments into the bowl (the bowl should also catch the juice). 

Add the fennel, onion, olives, celery and pine nuts to the bowl with the orange segments and juice. Stir carefully to combine. 

To make the dressing, put the vinegar and honey in a small bowl. Gradually add the oil, whisking vigorously as you go, and season with salt. 

Pour the dressing over the salad (reserving 1 tablespoon for drizzling) and gently toss all the salad ingredients together. 

Break the mackerel into bite-sized pieces and scatter over the top of the salad. Sprinkle with black pepper and drizzle over the remaining dressing. 

Once you’re done, simply sit back and enjoy your smoked mackerel, orange & fennel salad. 

Some other Gino D'Acampo Recipes:
Pea, mint and cheddar frittata - see here
Sicilian style salmon with garlic mushrooms - see here
Tomato ragù, lovely with meatballs, or on grilled chicken or lamb - see here
Lemon Chicken - see here

Other recipe suggestions you may like: 
Tomato, Basil and Lemon Courgette / Zucchini Pasta : It's Low Carb : Vegan : Gluten-free - see here
Vittoria tomato tricolore salad, perfect for summer and it's LCHF - see here
Summer Tomato Pie, it's low carb - see here

Good Eating
Bon Appetit
Buon Appetito!

A variety of recipe ideas and articles are found within this blog, and not all may be suitable for you. If you may have any food allergies, or underlying health issues these must always be taken into account. If you are a diabetic and not sure how certain foods may affect your blood sugars, test is best, i.e. use your meter.

All the best Jan

34 comments:

Divers and Sundry said...

Tasty. I need to alter my grocery list to keep a wider variety of foods on hand.

Margarida Pires said...

Olá Eddie!
Belas receitas!
Obrigada!
Um abraço viajante!🌼😀❤️
Megy Maia🌈

Elephant's Child said...

Simple is so often best. Thank you.

happyone said...

We love salads and that first is my favorite.

My name is Erika. said...

Yummy!

mxtodis123 said...

Looks so yummy.

Christine said...

These look so healthy and good!

Rose said...

Sounds and looks so good.

The Joy of Home with Martha Ellen said...

Lovely salads for summer eating. They look delicious!

Martha said...

So yummy and perfect for summertime!

Chatty Crone said...

Bon Appetit!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Looks good.

Margaret D said...

They look lovely tasty salads, even in winter here we are eating salads a few times a week.

Valerie-Jael said...

Sounds great! Have a good week, Valerie

Jo said...

Simple recipes are often the most tasty.

CJ Kennedy said...

Another hot and humid week, the salads will be refreshing.

Bob Bushell said...

The Italian dish is beautiful, worth it's in gold.

roughterrain crane said...

I love french beans, too.
Happy week to you.

Nadezda said...

Jan, I like all salads with feta or mozzarella. This one looks yummy!

eileeninmd said...

Hello,

Both salads look delicious. Perfect for a hot summer day.
Have a happy day and a great week!

Francisco Manuel Carrajola Oliveira said...

Uma salada deliciosa.
Um abraço e boa semana.

Andarilhar
Dedais de Francisco e Idalisa
Livros-Autografados

Tom said...

...more things to try.

sheila 77 said...

These are all terrific suggestions. I especially like the first - french beans, tomatoes, walnuts and cheese - what could be better?

carol l mckenna said...

Oh delish ^_^ and healthy!

Live each moment with love,

A ShutterBug Explores,
aka (A Creative Harbor)

ps. ~ Apologies for tardiness in commenting

Iris Flavia said...

These sound yummy!
But... I have a question. Do you have a recipe for a hearty low carb-cookie? I HAD TO buy this cool cookie-making roll, but I only find sweet recipes... or super complicated ones.

Mary Kirkland said...

I love trying new salads.

Shari Burke said...

It's definitely salad season! Those look great!

Creations By Cindy said...

YUM! loving the looks of these! Hugs and blessings, Cindy

Lowcarb team member said...

Iris Flavia said...
These sound yummy!
But... I have a question. Do you have a recipe for a hearty low carb-cookie? I HAD TO buy this cool cookie-making roll, but I only find sweet recipes... or super complicated ones

Hello Iris
Many thanks for your comment and question.

How about these:-
Low Carb Chocolate Chip Cookies
https://thelowcarbdiabetic.blogspot.com/2016/08/low-carb-chocolate-chip-cookies.html

Low Carb Chocolate Cookie / Biscuits : Spoilt For Choice!
https://thelowcarbdiabetic.blogspot.com/2018/07/low-carb-chocolate-cookie-biscuits.html

Peanut Butter Protein Cookie Biscuits : Low Carb
https://thelowcarbdiabetic.blogspot.com/2016/11/peanut-butter-protein-cookie-biscuits.html

I do hope one of these suggestions will be ok for you.

All the best Jan

Iris Flavia said...

Thank you, Jan - are they all sweet? I really do not have much of a sweet tooth, I found this, though (google translate will do the job?):
https://staupitopia-zuckerfrei.de/herzhafte-low-carb-jalapeno-cheddar-plaetzchen-rezept/

I´ll try when the roll arrives. Some T-day will show :-)

Lowcarb team member said...

Iris Flavia said...
Thank you, Jan - are they all sweet? I really do not have much of a sweet tooth, I found this, though (google translate will do the job?):
https://staupitopia-zuckerfrei.de/herzhafte-low-carb-jalapeno-cheddar-plaetzchen-rezept/

I´ll try when the roll arrives. Some T-day will show :-

Hello Iris
I think the ones I suggested above may be too sweet for you, although you can always adjust the flavour to suit your taste.

Looking at the recipe you linked to (which looks very nice) I think either of these will suit you better:-

Cheesy Cake Bars / Biscuits(made with ground almond)
https://thelowcarbdiabetic.blogspot.com/2019/05/cheesy-cake-bars-biscuits-lchf-keto.html

Mini Cheese Loaves (made with coconut flour)
https://www.ditchthecarbs.com/coconut-flour-mini-cheese-loaves/

Both of these suggestions are low carb.

All the best Jan

Lorrie said...

That green bean and dried tomato salad sounds wonderful. Dried tomatoes need to be on my shopping list!

Jeanie said...

I love salads, especially in the summer. he one with the beans looks especially tasty!

Sue said...

I'll never forget the salad we had in Venice, it looked and tasted like a hedge bottom! 😂 xx

alfi said...

i am a sweet lover and i am also conscious about my healt. this sweet dish and your idea of the dish just made my day. thank you