Vegetable + Dairy + Lemon Dressing = Five Salads to Add to Your Spring Rotation
And opinions on food market gentrification
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My local food market — the famous Bolhão market in the centre of Porto — was recently “renovated.”
I use quotation marks because renovation is often equated with improvement. But just because something has been renovated doesn’t mean it’s better and alas, Bolhão falls under that category.
What used to be a working market has become a sanitised tourist trap. Whilst before you might have fought off seagulls trying to get at your fresh sardines, now you’re more likely to fight with a vendor over the price of imported strawberries.
It’s seems the modern way of the food markets right now. Make it bougie, make it Instagrammable, make it expensive.
But just like the Boqueria in Barcelona — another touristified market — parts of the old Bolhão market remain. And it’s that part I love and spend all my money in.
If you move through the imported pasta, smoothie stands and tropical fruit stalls into the very centre of the hall, you’ll find five or six older women doing as they’ve done forever.
Selling locally sourced produce to yes, tourists, but also to locals. People who remember Bolhão as that seagull-filled, scuzzy local market.
I love these women. They don’t speak English but they’re kind to the likes of me who bumble through with my rudimentary Portuguese.
Best of all, they only sell what is in season for a very, very good price.
Recently that meant a lot of potatoes, grelos (Portuguese greens) and cabbage.
But friends, it’s the end of April, which means Spring produce has hit these women’s shelves.
And I couldn’t be happier.
I’ve visited Bolhão three times this week just to gawk at — and buy — fresh peas, unpodded broad beans, tenderstem broccoli and asparagus.
The herbs are in too. I didn’t think I could source dill in Portugal but it turns out I’ve just not lived here at the right time of year. Now, there are buckets full of dill all over the market. Not to mention parsley, basil, and coriander.
It’s this time of year when I get all misty-eyed at the thought of simple vegetable salads that showcase the produce I’m incredibly lucky to live amongst.
So this week, I’m sharing five “what I ate this week” recipes — all salads — I made with my market hauls.
Each of these salads are based around a spring vegetable, a dairy element (optional if you’re dairy-free) and a simple lemon dressing.
These recipes are ripe for substitutions. Peas can become broad beans. Asparagus can become broccoli. Queso fresco can become ricotta. There are no hard and fast rules about quantities — whatever looks good will work.
We’ve got:
Asparagus with charcuterie crumb
Asparagus with romesco sauce
Broad beans with labneh and lemon
Fresh pea and broad bean salad with mint and fresh cheese
Roasted chickpeas with broccoli, almonds and lemon
Let’s do this.
Always double pod your broad beans. I often see people serve theirs with the outer skins still on then wonder why they’re grey and tough.
If you get them in their hairy outer pods, pop them out. Blanch in hot water for around a minute. Drain and leave until cool enough to handle. The outer skin on each bean will then be easy to pierce with a nail, revealing the deep green bean inside.
It’s a myth that you should snap asparagus where it bends. Cut off the ends if you think they need it but don’t let perfectly good asparagus go to waste.
Simple lemon dressing
Each of these recipes uses a simple lemon dressing which is:
1.5 part good quality extra virgin olive oil
1 part fresh lemon juice
A pinch of flaky sea salt
Vigorously whisk with a fork — or shake it in a jar — until the dressing has emulsified and thickened. Just 20 seconds should do it.
If you don’t have fresh lemon, sherry vinegar or a good quality white wine vinegar can be a good alternative, but swap the ratios to:
2 parts olive oil
1 part vinegar
Asparagus with charcuterie crumb
Most cured meats will work in this dish, which is good if like me you’ve always got a bit hanging around in the fridge.
Milano salami, Spanish jamón or chorizo, Portuguese presunto, even German salami will work.
Take a slice or two of the meat and chop as small as your knife skills will allow. Place them in a cold frying pan, then turn up the heat. As the pan warms up, the fat will melt out of the cured meat, frying the crumb. It won’t take long to cook—probably just a minute or two.
Take out the meat and throw in a handful or two of asparagus. Add extra oil if there isn’t enough fat from the meat.
Fry the asparagus on a medium-high heat turning them every few minutes until they’re just starting to blister.
Arrange the asparagus on a plate. Drizzle over some simple lemon dressing. Sprinkle on the meat.
Add fresh cheese, lemon zest and / or chopped hazelnuts if you like.