A couple of times a year, four of us get together and spend the day wandering around a food market, shopping and then repairing to one of our homes to cook a tasting style menu. Usually, friends and family will turn up later on for dinner – it’s such a lovely and convivial day – I wrote about it in a little more detail, last year. I suppose it is an echo of days gone by when families, friends and neighbours would gather to celebrate a harvest, cooking and eating together. This time, M suggested that we visit a Sardinian store called Vallebona, to which she had taken me before. I am not sure that I can find the words to describe the Vallebona experience but I will try. It’s like stumbling upon the most wonderful secret and realising that you have just joined the best club ever. It is family owned and run with great, enthusiasm, knowledge and style – visiting is just an utter delight and pleasure. Vallebona in the middle of an industrial estate in Wimbledon, so finding it is the first challenge. Upon pulling up, it’s all forbidding burgundy coloured steel doors with only the signage to indicate that you are in the right place.
Upon pressing the buzzer to gain entry, the door swings open into a stunning white space, filled with stylishly arranged Sardinian groceries and wine. The rooms have a distinct warehouse vibe with white painted brick walls and vintage shelving and accessories.
You are pretty much handed a glass of wine and a few nibbles shortly after walking in which makes it a very enjoyable way to browse through the stunningly arranged warehouse rooms.
There is the most fabulous climate controlled cheese and meat room and also a kitchen from which they produce samples of their food to try and where they also cater for lunches and dinners.
Vallebona have recently started stocking fresh fruit and vegetables so it was the perfect food destination from which to make up our menu.
There were recipe suggestions galore so we decided on Spicy Sausage and Fregola main dish, a fabulous selection of cheeses and this gorgeous Blood Orange, Cavalo Nero and Fregola Salad. For this recipe, you will need to segment oranges. It is really easy to do so give it a go if you haven’t tried this before. The video below shows how easy it is.
Fregola is similar to the giant Israeli couscous except that it is lightly toasted so has a wonderful flavour. Cavalo Nero is related to kale and cabbage and is used to make the classic Tuscan Ribollita Soup.
I always make something to take with me and this time I made Dan Lepard’s Rye Crackers to have with the cheese that I knew we would buy. They were delicious and easy to make but really showed up the hot spots in my oven! The recipe is in his book Short and Sweet which I highly recommend if you enjoy baking.
This Blood Orange, Cavalo Nero and Fregola Salad is a delicious marriage of flavours; sharp, sweet, salty, toasty and green. and perfect with fish too. If you can’t find blood oranges, use regular ones instead. Walnuts would also be the perfect substitution for the toasted sliced almonds. I am taking this to the virtual table at Fiesta Friday #58, hosted by the talented Angie of The Novice Gardener. Last week was sugar fuelled so a salad like this is sure to balance things out! This week we have Caroline @Caroline’s Cooking and Elaine @foodbod to thank, as our co-hosts. Both are fantastic cooks and have a wealth of recipes on their sites – do go over and take a look. If you blog, please do join in, reading the the guidelines first to get you going.
Blood Orange, Cavalo Nero and Fregola Salad
adapted from Vallebona’s recipe for Cavalo Nero, Blood Orange and Almond Salad
INGREDIENTS
- 100g dried weight fregola,
- 2 blood oranges
- 1 lemon
- 200 g Cavalo Nero (also known as Black Kale or Black Cabbage)
- 1 tsp flakey sea salt
- ½ tsp sugar
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- handful of sliced almonds
INSTRUCTIONS
- Soak the Cavalo Nero in plenty of cold water.
- Cook the fregola in lots of boiling, salted water for 10 minutes; drain, rinse and set aside.
- in the meantime, segment the oranges by slicing off the top and bottoms, then vertically running a knife between the flesh and the pith, following the curve of the orange. Then segment by slicing out the flesh from between the membrane. Cut these segments into 2 or 3 pieces each and set aside.
- Squeeze all the juice out of the membranes into a separate bowl. Juice the lemon into this bowl too and set aside.
- Drain the Cavalo Nero and remove the stalks and discard. Slice the leaves into 1 inch pieces then chop a couple of times.
- Sprinkle the salt and sugar over the Cavalo Nero then pour over the combined juices. Massage (squelch) the leaves with the mix of salt, sugar and citrus juices for 4 or 5 minutes to break down the fibres and soften the leaves. Pour over the olive oil and massage again for a minute or so then set aside for 15 – 20 minutes.
- Toast the almond slices until golden brown.
- When ready to eat, toss the Cavalo Nero with the blood orange pieces, the cooked fregola and the toasted almond slices. Toss and serve.
Lovely recipe… And I love the look of that walnut gorgonzola!
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How gorgeous does it look – I so badly wanted to get a slice to take home but was conscious of the big wedding in Cape Town coming up and not needing to add any additional inches anywhere! x
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I’m so jealous of your markets. Your photos were particularly gorgeous today. I would frame the blood orange photo. Seriously. Be well, Tracey
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Thanks so much Tracey! We are really lucky here but then I see Sue’s (birgerbird) posts about the farmer’s markets in Cali and feel desperately left out!
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What a fabulous idea. And cooking with friends is always magical and so much fun.
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It really is, especially if you are all of the same inclination (wine, cheese, meat!) and get on really well. And it’s really lovely when others drop by later on to eat with us. Magical is absolutely what it is.
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The colors in your salad pop! Nice to visit your lovely blog Selma. And a store that offers you wine…now why can’t they all do that?
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I know – sales would go right up as budgeting goes out the window!
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Lovely, nutritious ingredients. I can see how these flavours would work really well together.
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And it’s delicious too so you don’t feel short changed on the flavour stakes.
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Selma
You did hit the best club ever! I am envious of you. Such a cool and enigmatic store. Wow!
That salad is pretty and filled with balanced ingredients. I might whip up something similar with your recipe, maybe with Frekkeh ?
Loved the colors.
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Oooh, yes, freekeh would be lovely, also bulgar or even couscous. Blood oranges are extremely photogenic!
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☺️
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It was such fun with delicious food. Let’s do it again soon. I have made both dishes since. Sent B off to Vallebonna this week. X
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It was fun, as usual!! We should do it again when spring has properly sprung and everything is fashionably labelled “new season”!!
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The salad looks spectacular. Your trips are as much fun to us readers because you share it with amazing pictures. I still remember the fun you had with the cheeses.
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Thanks skd and don’t you have a good memory!! Glad to hear that you enjoy reading about the trips.
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Some blogs are simply worth remembering ; )
And there is always something to learn from yours.
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That store looks amazing!! And your photos are as stunning as always and the recipe looks lovely, the flavour must be so good 😀 your world always looks so wonderful xx thank you for sharing all of this fabulousness at Fiesta Friday x x
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It is just an amazing place. Can’t wait to go back again. Thank you for saying that my world always looks wonderful – yours does too! Thank you so much for co-hosting and Happy Fiesta Friday!
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Fricking damn!! You’re killing me here with thise pics. That place looks like it needs to be my local 👌
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I remember when I was little I was participating in those kind of gatherings in my village or with the family. There were a few occasions- harvesting wheat, picking the cherries or apples from the trees or potatoes. I loved those events- lots of good food, old people telling old stories. It was so interesting and comforting in a way!
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That sounds so lovely – what wonderful memories to have!
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oh pretty and healthy, great way to start celebrating spring coming!
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It really is! Thanks Poli.
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Oh Selma, I promised myself I would take a break from blogging while I am in Punta Cana on spring break but I couldn’t resist one of your beautiful and interesting posts! I want to fly right over to Wimbledon and come to this shop too!
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Enjoy your lovely break, Johanne – perhaps you could make a detour on your way back home?! Thanks for lovely comments x
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Lovely post Selma :)
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Thank you, Judi x
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Wallebona looks like a great place! I have never heard of it :)
Your salad looks so fresh and delicious, I love blood oranges!
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Hi Petra – I am not surprised that you have not heard about it. From what I saw, it seems to be a Wimbledon secret!
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This salad is going in the ‘to print’ list. Perfect.
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Please let me know how you adapt it – I love to see recipes transition. If you get a chance, take a look at Vallebona’s website – they have some lovely recipes on there x
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Omg Selma! I love this salad… the cavolo nero is a specially of my region in Italy -Tuscany, because of the Ribollita, as you said. Never had the intuition of using it with blood oranges… I’m sure it must be delicious!
p.s I don’t know if you had the chance to check my last post… it’s about your Nutella rolls! I linked my recipe to your blog, I hope the link worked! Thanks again!
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Hi Margy – yes, the salad is really good but you do have to massage/squelch the leaves very well in order to break down the fibres. I did see your post and left a comment on how gorgeous your rolls looked – did it not go through?
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I made some changes in my blog, this week I missed a lot of comments… but I’m glad you like the reinterpretation of your AMAZING RECIPE!
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Thanks lovely, you made it look fabulous!
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