Recipe in text below: Purslane Salad with Nectarines, Pine Nuts, and Ricotta Salata
I will eat pretty much anything at least once, and usually many times, but fuzzy food disturbs me. As much as I love peaches, I can’t quite get past their fuzzy skin. I understand this is infantile and really stupid, but I can’t help it. I once planted a Cuban oregano that turned out to have fuzzy leaves. I found the mouth feel of the herb unbearable. I ripped the plant out.
Yesterday I went to the Union Square Greenmarket looking for purslane. I had the idea I’d pair it with peaches for a sweet summer salad. That seemed perfect. But of course I’d have to skin the peaches’ fuzzy coats, and then they’d turn into a soupy mess in the bowl, diluting the vinaigrette and not doing a good job of anything. Funny—I had forgotten about nectarines, but there they were, in all their smooth-skinned summer glory, smelling like heaven. So they became the thing to layer with the purslane, one of my favorite high summer greens, with its lemony taste and high omega-3 content. An interesting thing about purslane is that it grows all over the place, including in cracks in the sidewalk. You probably have some in your backyard, or down the block in a tree bed. This time I wanted it so badly I paid for it.
I added ricotta salata to the salad, thinking its saltiness would marry well with the sweet fruit. And then I scattered on toasted pine nuts and drizzled on good olive oil, salt, black pepper, and a thread of sherry wine vinegar. So that’s the recipe. Maybe you’d like to try it.
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Here is some other appealing produce I saw at the Greenmarket:
My favorite lilac-colored round Italian eggplants. I like to cut them in half and stuff them with breadcrumbs, anchovies, garlic, and summer savory.
A Japanese eggplant that looks interesting. I haven’t tried it yet, but I will, and I’ll report back.
Delicious peppers, sort of like cubanelles but with a little more flavor.
I found myself attracted to the shiny skins on these semi-hot chilies, so I bought a few. I added half of one to a braised eggplant and tomato dish. Lovely flavor.