A couple of weeks ago I had a brief moment of excitement: I found salted, shelled sunflower seeds in a supermarket. You might say: So what? And I say that, just like white asparagus, pâtés, and a few other things I’m too embarrassed to admit I miss, they are products that are hard to find in Rome. When I go to Sabadell, I stock up on these ingredients, though not as generously as I would like. My own paranoia: I wouldn’t want the supermarket staff to think I suffer from some kind of perverse obsession with these specific foods, or to draw too much attention at airport security and have it happen to me like it did to Sofia Loren with the mortadella, but in my case, because of industrial quantities of Iberian ham.
By the way, I said “brief moment of excitement” because the sunflower seeds I happened to find in Rome were garbage, but I still had a few left from the last time I went to Sabadell. I decided to risk it on a somewhat daring invention. Making use of some leftover ricotta that was dying of sadness, a few black olives that were drifting aimlessly, and a tomato that was about to melt into its own juices while stoically giving a thumbs up. Fortunately, it turned out well, and for that reason, I’m sharing it with you, even though it’s not a typical Italian dish. If you want to make it very quickly, use, just as I did, another one of those products I can’t find around here and that I bring back from Sabadell: microwaveable rice cups. We all know that what you can prepare at home is tastier and healthier than any pre-cooked product, but you also have to be realistic. You need to have resources for when there’s no time, you’re tired, or you simply don’t feel like complicating your life.
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The card
- 150 g brown rice (or whatever type you feel like)
- 100 g fresh ricotta
- 2 tomatoes
- A small can of black olives
- 25 g shelled salted sunflower seeds
- Olive oil infused with garlic and chili pepper (optional)
- Ginger
- Balsamic vinegar of Modena
- Olive oil
- Black pepper
- Salt
- Boil the rice or heat it in the microwave and let it cool. If you have to boil brown rice, remember that it takes between 30-45 minutes.
- Dice the tomatoes, season them with a pinch of pepper and olive oil, and distribute them over the rice. NO salt. The sunflower seeds already have it.
- Slice the olives and scatter them over the rice and tomato.
- Grate a little bit of fresh ginger, add the sunflower seeds, and place a couple of spoonfuls of ricotta on top of the salad.
- Dress with a little more oil, whether infused or not, four drops of balsamic vinegar of Modena, and a little bit of fresh chopped parsley.
- Let everyone stir their own plate before eating it.
