rabbit food

Usually when people hear salad, they think boring or elementary; however, a perfectly balanced salad actually takes a bit of thought to compose. As you know by now I am obsessed with fresh, seasonal produce and nothing gives me more pleasure than biting into a cacophony of colorful, crisp veggies showered with fruity olive oil and a little sea salt. The heat here in Barcelona is, well, hot. Hot and humid. Hot, humid, sticky and without the luxury of an air conditioner, cooking, i.e. turning on the oven is pretty much out of the question. However, a salad, a salad I can do. I get one bunch of romaine and one bunch of frisée from La Boqueria, both for one Euro, and one small bundle of radishes, two carrots, a trio of vine ripened tomatoes, a cucumber and one avocado later I am ready with one bag secured in each hand to make the 15 minute journey back to my apartment. Knowing that I have a can of tuna and a bit of chickpeas leftover, my shopping spree is complete; albeit after I pick up a watermelon and some delicious toasted almonds to munch on throughout the week. Wait, who am I kidding the watermelon will be gone by nights end!

There is not much you need to do when you have such quality ingredients to work with. Honoring them is your only job. So don't underestimate the ability of a beautiful extra-virgin olive oil, a sprinkle of sea salt, a dash of white wine vinegar and fresh, fragrant herbs, such as basil, roughly torn and liberally scattered amongst your mix of lettuce and vegetables. Thinly sliced sweet onions are also a nice addition. Do remember to think about textures and flavors when constructing your salad. Creamy avocado is a welcome contrast to crunchy bits of julienne radish and soft, juicy tomatoes, as are sweet carrots and briny tuna melding with slightly bitter frisée. You can't help not having a sublime forkful, bite after bite!

After all that is chopped and tossed I know it may not yield the comfort of a hunk of sirloin and roasted potatoes, but when you are on a budget in the heat of summer, surrounded by ridiculously inexpensive produce, you can't help but to eat like a rabbit from time to time; and that ain't too bad when this little rabbit calls La Boqueria her very own personal garden.