Brutto ma Buono

Brutto ma Buono….Ugly but good

Heirloom tomatoes are not always pretty

but they are pretty good! Rich and almost meaty!

Today’s Cuore di Bue ended up in a riff on a traditional summer salad
lightened up.

Insalata Russa , russian salad, is a classic, made from tiny boiled veggies,
usually peas, carrots, potatoes and string beans
cut into tiny pieces and then dressed with tons of mayo.

Today I had zucchini, string beans, potatoes and some of the tomato, red onion, tuna
and capers dressed with extra virgin olive oil,
fabulous vinegar from France I got in Torino at Slow Food and sea salt!

Another great salad is Tonno e Fagioli
Tuna and tuscan beans, dressed in olive oil with thin slices of red onions.

Many of these salads travel up and down the coast between Italy and France, changing ingredients as they go.

In Liguria they do potatoes and string beans, dressed in pesto.
But the last time I was in France, what I thought was an Nicoise, lettuce with tuna, tomatoes hard boiled eggs , potatoes, string beans, anchovies, olives and onions, almost got me slapped!

Here is the real thing.. in Nice.

So have fun, break the rules and don’t use a recipe.
Be creative!