Parrothead Salad - featuring this season's blueberries

Goat's cheese, beetroot, pistachios and nuts grace this parrothead salad

Cake in Chestnut Hill is the cafe attached to Robertson's the Florist - one of the landmarks on what is fondly called "The Ave" (or Germantown Avenue to those not in the know).

The baked goods - cupcakes, special occasion cakes, cookies, et al - on sale at this treasure of a coffee shop are exemplary.





The lunch menu includes such dazzlers as a goat cheese and beetroot salad.

Cake's salad is actually a version of a Parrothead Salad, which I decided to replicate for a summer gathering at the Jersey Shore, using the freshest ingredients from our local farm stand.

I fell in love with the salad and when I started researching recipes, hoping to emulate this awesome salad, I also fell love with the name of  Parrothead Salad.   I just can't stop saying it, or making it!

There are endless versions of this salad online.

Parrothead Salad is a catch all term which includes any brightly colored salad featuring raw nuts, blueberries, fruit and the odd vegetable: beetroot, because of its stunning coloration, seems to be a favorite.

Here are two recipes I liked the sound of.

• The first is from a perennial source, allrecipes.com, 
• the second version also throws raisins into the mix, recipe here.

This is my version, which comprises cooked beetroot, mango, blueberries, goats cheese, pistachio nuts, red onion, bacon bits and a light honey-based vinaigrette.

You don't really need a recipe, just mix and match your raw ingredients.






Have fun and play around with the salad until you're happy with your  eye-popping mound of fresh fruit and veg.

Salsas Galore: Peach and Mango

Peach Chili Salsa

The best thing about this time of year is the abundance of cheap fresh fruit.

I am a devotee of fruit salsas so now's the perfect time of the year to be whipping up a salsa storm; I look to see what needs using up imminently and then start to throw ingredients together, testing out endless combinations of sweet, spicy and tart ingredients.

My two top conconctions this Summer are a chili peach salsa and also a mango salsa - both play heavily on the onion and fruit combination and beautiful astringent fresh lime juice!

It's Lime Time!

Chili Peach Salsa
2 ripe peaches, diced
1/4 red onion finely chopped
1 beefsteak tomato finely chopped
Juice of 1 fresh lime
Salt and Pepper to taste
Chopped cilantro (omit, if, like me, you have picky friends who dislike this herb; I think it tastes better with, but there you have it...)
1 tsp chili oil (add more if you like heat!)

After prepping all ingredients, throw in a bowl and mix gently.  Serve immediately. Serves four as a condiment to grilled meats.  

This fruit salsa is especially good with pork, but it doesn't keep.  The fruit goes soggy if you prepare it too far in advance of your meal.

Mango Salsa

Replace peaches with 1-2 ripe champagne mangoes - these are the golden yellow, super sweet mangos, which are smaller than the normal mangoes you see in stores.

I also like to replace the red onion with a less powerful onion, such as scallions, when I make mango salsa because the fruit seems to be less intrusive and would otherwise be overwhelmed by the red onion.

Also try pineapple mango, our watermelon salsa or try slow roasting the tomatoes.  This step completely changes both the texture and the taste of your salsa.

The world's your oyster (or should I say orchard?)

Use your imagination :)