As you might expect, we ate a lot of delicious paella and tapas on our recent trip to Valencia.
Another memorable local dish was Valencian Salad (Ensalada Valenciana) – pictured below. As soon as I tried it, I vowed to recreate a version of it at home.
The key ingredients are lettuce (romaine/cos or iceberg are best), tomatoes, a log of goat’s cheese, extra-virgin olive oil and something sweet such as chunks of fresh orange or sultanas/raisins.
Here’s my recipe, which uses ingredients that we usually have lying around in the cupboard. It may not be completely traditional, but it’s simple, light and delicious – perfect for a summer lunch or as a delicious starter to some home-made paella.
Ingredients
You’ll need:
- A couple of handfuls of romaine/cos or iceberg lettuce.
- Two large tomatoes.
- Half a log of goat’s cheese, rind on.
- A handful of sultanas or raisins.
- Green olives (optional).
- A handful of seeds such as sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds.
- Extra-virgin olive oil, to drizzle.
- Fresh black pepper.
Method
This is easy – cut up the cheese and tomatoes into bite-sized chunks and then combine with all the other ingredients, expect the olive oil, in a bowl. Then drizzle over the oil and finish off with some fresh black pepper.
Leave for a few minutes to let the flavours combine, then devour. Preferably with a chilled glass of white wine.
