GOOD "OLE" IRISH SMOKED SALMON ON BROWN BREAD!!
There are so many things we love about Italy, the culture, lifestyle, family, food, coffee and the WEATHER!! We have the Italian TV channels and every evening we have to depress ourselves as we watch the Italian weather forecast and features about the beaches and summer festivals on the news. The weather is so bad here at the moment it's pretty depressing, Laura wrote about it on her blog also because the weather does affect our quality of life and influences what we eat!
Bruno's cousins love Ireland, they don't like the weather but they get over it! They are amazed by the economy and how everyone owns their own house! Most of the under 30's still live at home and go to college and it is very difficult to buy property or get a well paid job if you don't live in the big cities! In relation to food there are also a few things Bru's cousins like:
- milk and butter - due to our green pastures as a result of all the rain Irish dairy is much creamier than Italian. They go mad for cereal with milk when they are here and bread and butter.
- fillet steak - once again Irish cows feed on greener grass so the steak is different here!
- Guinness - pretty obvious!
- Garlic chips and cheese and a doner kebab from Abbrakebabra- I know! but they love them, you don't get them in Italy so it's a novelty for them.
- Coleslaw - they are amazed by it, ever Italian who has worked for us loves it!
And last but not least smoked salmon on brown bread! I have never seen brown bread in Italy , it is virtually unheard of, smoked salmon is pretty rare too, the only smoked fish that I've had is smoked swordfish in Sicily!! Every time Bru's cousins are here we have it as a starter for dinner, they love it because they get to put loads of butter on the bread which is never done in Italy! We love it ourselves and often have it for dinner if the weather is nice or if we're too lazy to cook!
WHAT YOU NEED!
- good quality Irish soda bread or a wheaten loaf - we usually buy the wheaten loaf in Superquinn, it's difficult to buy good soda bread anymore! We had a good brown loaf in Avoca last week!
- good quality Irish smoked salmon - once again it's Superquinn organic for us!
- butter or philadelphia cheese - I love philadelphia cheese with smoked salmon, I don't know if I'm committing a cardinal sin here but I don't care!
- squeeze of a lemon
- thinly sliced red onion
- black pepper
We usually have it with a rocket salad
- rocket
- good quality cherry tomatoes
- red onion
- olive oil
- balsamic vinegar
- salt
BUON APETITTO!!
I have to agree with Maz about the smoked salmon from the market, I had it at her house once and I've been addicted since! (Comment this)