May | Childhood

That Recipe on my Mind | The Cycle of Life Calendar 19

Growing and learning

When I was a child, I used to spend many summers in Germany with a family, a family that today I consider a part of my family. Coming from the Canary Islands, Spain, with all those volcanic and dramatic landscapes, the prairies near Heidelberg showed me nature from a completely new angle. In those long summers I immersed myself into everything, exploring in detail. I used to play for hours imagining and creating exciting worlds. At that age, I started learning that I had the possibility to transform nature into something different.

From my father I learned the capacity for observation and the hunger for curiosity, and from my -so to say - other father I learned that no matter how difficult something is, nothing is impossible.

Slice of Iberico ham surrounded by seasonal vegetables, fruits and herbs

For 3-4 persons
1 bunch of small white and green asparagus, washed and ends trimmed
3-4 thin slices of Iberic ham
1 bunch of blueberries
1 bunch wild garlic
1 small/baby carrot
1 bunch of wild edible herbs
some strawberries
some small pieces of cauliflower
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
juice of half a lemon
1 teaspoon honey
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste



Pour olive oil into large bowl. Whisk in oil, lemon and honey. Season dressing to taste with salt and pepper. Add the wild berries, edible herbs and the pieces of cauliflower. Mix well with dressing and keep aside

Wash wild garlic leaves thoroughly.
Add wild garlic leaves and a table spoon of olive oil (the pesto should not be to thin), and pound and grind against the walls of a mortar. Continue until all basil leaves have been crushed into fine bits. It should have the consistency of a thick paste.

Take a spoon of the wild garlic pesto and put it on the plate. Arrange some asparagus around the slice of Iberico ham. Add the wild herb salad with the blueberries and cauliflower. Serve.