The silly season is definitely underway and I found myself out for dinner twice last week. The first was to my friend Maeve’s which I’ve already written about and on Saturday night, I met some other like minded people (bloggers) for dinner in La Piccola Italia. I’m quite lucky to be a neighbour of Maz’s whose boyfriend is great for collecting & dropping to & from the blog events. We were dropped right outside the door and met Mary T inside who is just back from her travels in Asia & Australia. Poor Lorraine had to cancel due to work commitments but she made sure she was there in spirit, or rather wine as she organised a bottle of prosecco for us to enjoy with our meal. It was delicious, a perfect treat to accompany the food.
I went for the antipasto starter as I wanted something nice and light. It came with olives, parma ham, salami, another cold meat which I was a bit dubious about (reminded me of sandwich meat from the 80’s) and chargrilled, pickled aubergines which were delicious. Maz went for the fresh mussels which were fantastic and Mary T ordered garlic bread but cancelled when informed by the waitress that a basket of bread and complimentary bruschetta would be brought out for us.
For main, I ordered sole on the bone with a side salad which is always a good choice in La Piccola and I wasn’t let down. The sole was cooked perfectly and full of flavour and the salad didn’t leave me feeling bloated afterwards. Mary T went for a pasta dish in a creamy tomato sauce and Maz went for the fillet steak which melted in the mouth. We didn’t bother with dessert, just a few espressos to give us a kick start and we were on our way. All in all a great night, we must do it again soon.
Doing an inventory on the fridge contents on Saturday morning before the market, I noticed some beetroot begging to be used up so I decided on Rachel Allen’s beetroot & goats cheese salad less the hazelnuts (I forgot about them). I picked up a bag of leaves from the organic stall out on the road beside the antiques stall. If you buy your leaves in the supermarket, I must urge you to change your habits and pick up a bag at the market on a Saturday morning; you wouldn’t believe the difference in flavour and there isn’t much difference in price. He charges €2.50 a bag with the supermarkets charging €2 for the chopped & pre-washed variety. I got my goats cheese from the cheese stall inside near Lazio’s, he has a huge variety and his wife makes a great selection of pates. So here it is…
Warm Beetroot & Goats Cheese Salad
Serves 2
What You Need
4 beetroot, un-peeled with about 2 inches of stalk left on
200g goats cheese
Salad Leaves
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
Sea salt & pepper
What You Do
· Heat the oven to 190C and cook the beetroot for 1 hour
· Peel the beetroot and chop into small cubes
· Assemble the dressing by putting the oil, vinegar, salt & pepper into a jam jar and shaking
· Dress the salad leaves, put on a plate, add the beetroot and break the goats cheese over the top.
· Enjoy!
Glad ye had a great night, would have loved to have been there especially for the Prosecco:) I think the fillet and the sole are definitely the Piccola's signature dishes!! That dubious meat you speak of is Mortadella, I thought the same when I first had it but now love it, great for sandwiches or with pizza marg!! Not that popular here but huge in Italy, they do sell it in Superquinn though so somebody must be eating it in Limerick!!:) I always buy my salad leaves at that stand too when I do get in there!!!
Posted by: lorraine@italianfoodies | December 12, 2007 at 01:25 PM
Hi Lor, thanks for the info; I wasn't sure what it was at all at all! I'd be tempted to go for the steak next time but really, the sole there is the best around. I had sole in Azur early last year that was up there with it but then the customers complained about the price so they reduced the size to lower the price :o(
Posted by: Sarah | December 12, 2007 at 01:43 PM
I've been meaning to make that salad from Rachel's new one for a while now. Must definitely get those leaves in the market this week (well I'll be sending Mike as I have college - booooo!!!
Posted by: Maz | December 13, 2007 at 08:38 AM
Hi Maz, yeah, it's worth the effort - Rachel did it as a starter but I made a bigger salad & had it for lunch. Beetroot is in season at the mo & all the market stalls are selling it - go for it!
Posted by: Sarah | December 13, 2007 at 11:18 AM
I love your blog. I'm glad I have just had a huge dinner and am stuffed because I'd be going crazy otherwise. Glad you are advertising the market etc. Lots of good stuff there. Will be keeping an eye out for more recipes.
Posted by: Maria | December 13, 2007 at 10:05 PM
Hi Maria, welcome to the blog... Are you a veggie??? I'm trying to get in a good cross section of recipes but I've a long way to go. I haven't even touched on seafood or desserts yet. All in good time I guess.
Posted by: Sarah | December 14, 2007 at 08:42 AM
Those salad leaves are definitely the best, Sorcha is a big fan because there are usually some edible flowers in there too! Sounds like you had a great night, I was disappointed to miss out, I'm all for dessert as your next post!
Posted by: Laura | December 15, 2007 at 10:13 AM