Bollito misto salad

A Vegetarian ‘Bolitto Misto’! Or, a ‘Bolitto Misto’ Salad. 

SERVES 4

It all depends on how adventurous you want to be but this shouldn't take more than forty minutes.

TOP TIPS:

Use vegetables that are in season. What makes this dish is the salsa verde. You do not need to change the water to cook each vegetable but do place the vegetables in a cooking order where you cook the milder flavoured vegetables first, only changing the water if it becomes murky.

STEPS

Here I have used I used spring vegetables. Carefully prepare and cut all the vegetables to a similar size so that they will come together nicely once they are mixed.

Blanch each vegetable in slightly salted water one after the other, or together if they have the same cooking time. Once cooked drain them well and place in a mixing bowl.

The only vegetable which needs a little more attention is the artichoke which should be sliced into quarters and rubbed with lemon. It then needs to be cooked separately adding a little more lemon to the cooking liquid. 

Mix the vegetables together, add a little rocket and season with a little salt, some lemon and a little extra virgin olive oil.

To turn it into a carnivorous bollito misto salad, either use the left-over pieces from a bolito misto or poach a piece of beef in bouillon liquid. (Blog recipe spring bouillon). Cut the beef very thinly and shred the along the grain of the meat before adding to the salad.

The Salsa Verde

Pick the leaves from the parsley stalks, wash and dry them and chop them finely.

Add the garlic, capers, anchovies and a little extra virgin olive oil to a blender and blend. Add half of the chopped parsley and blend some more. Add the egg and blend, then add the rest of the parsley and the lemon juice and blend again. Add a little more extra virgin olive oil in a stream as you finish blending the salsa verde. 

Mix all the vegetables together and season, adding the shreds of beef if you choose this option and serve with the salsa verde.