Recipe: B.L.T. Salad
Bacon (or facon!), lettuce, and tomato make for a vibrant pasta salad {nf, v*, gf*, pb*}
Last weekend I spent a day hiking through the Tyresta national park which is just south of Stockholm. It was a stunner of a day with the sun shining in all it's glory, a cloudless blue sky and the fragrance of Summer in the air. We walked through the forest carpeted with blueberry bushes and pine needles crunching beneath our feet (Sweden is going through a dry spell). Lunch, a very important part of the day, (I was hanging out with a bunch of food lovers) took place with a scenic back drop.
Everyone got out their lunch boxes with at least half of the group unpacking a salad of some sort. Salads definitely seem to be the go to picnic lunch food.
Now when it comes to picnic salads there are a few things that I think make a good one:
You can make it in advance without it going soggy (ideally the night before).
It fills you up (need a good base whether pasta, grains or pulses).
Lots of different textures (crunch, soft, chew).
Vibrant flavours (nothing bland please).
So with that in mind I thought I'd do a play on the classic Bacon, Lettuce and Tomato but switch the tomato out for some strawberries with them being in season. Strawberries add a tart sweetness to the salad that goes oh so well with the salty smokiness of the bacon or my facon.