Beach beer
& other things, like a recipe for a springy panzanella
Hi, friends —
The weather this past weekend was what I wish summer would feel like all season long — 70-something degrees, dry air, everyone outside basking in the sun, reveling in the warmth. I’ve been warned that only a few weeks remain before it gets hot hot hot, and that I mustn’t take this glorious weather for granted. I promised myself I would not, and on Saturday, I went by myself to Santa Severa, a beach town that’s an easy 45-minute train ride north from Rome.
I got fried calamari and shrimp, served with a fat wedge of lemon, from a bar by the beach, and a cold Peroni, too — not because I really wanted a Peroni, but because it felt like the right thing to drink on a beach in Italy. I lay on my back to hide the parts of my skin that I couldn’t quite reach with sunscreen, and I swam a singular time, after asking an Italian family that seemed friendly to watch my things for a few minutes. These are the two main issues with going to the beach alone: chaotic sunscreen coverage and potential theft. Otherwise, I recommend it. When I’m alone, I’m much better at noticing the people around me. A gray-haired, soft-bellied woman wearing a black bikini, playing with her grandchildren in the sand. A young couple, shoulder-deep in the ocean, tangled in each other’s arms, passionately making out for the world to see. At the train station, a gaggle of tween girls who smell of nicotine and synthetic fragrance, cropped tank tops on, flat tummies on display, hair down to cover the acne on their upper backs, phones out. Remember the stickiness of tweendom? Whew.
I got home in the late afternoon. Sunned and sleepy, I made myself a Thai-inspired chopped salad of frilly Napa cabbage, carrots, scallions, and mint, with a ginger-peanut-lime dressing and plenty of chopped peanuts. I used this recipe as a reference, but altered almost everything, as I do. It was hearty and refreshing and just what I needed.
The following day, Giorgia and I met in the late morning at the Circo Massimo farmers market, which I couldn’t believe I hadn’t heard of or visited before. We bought ingredients to make a springy panzanella for lunch: asparagus, radishes, cucumbers, fava beans, peas, parsley, pizza bianca, and a little wedge of stracchino cheese, and it all came to €12 or so. It was such a delightful thing, and so easy to pull together, that I thought I’d share a recipe with you. It’s less of a recipe and more like an extremely flexible suggestion. Maybe you’ll make something similar?
Spring Panzanella
Preheat the oven to 400℉. Tear pizza bianca (or bread of your choice…sourdough would be nice) into manageable chunks. Toss in a bowl with olive oil, and use your hands to make sure it’s evenly coated. Spread in a single layer on a baking sheet, and bake for, I don’t know, 10 minutes? Until the bread is crispy and golden, but still a little spongy inside. Gather your bounty of spring vegetables, and treat each one the way it wants to be treated (this could mean something different to you than it does to me, and that’s okay). Asparagus wants to be sliced and briefly sautéed with olive oil and salt. Radishes and cucumbers want to be sliced thinly on a mandoline and left crunchy and raw. Peas want to be shucked, then blanched ever so lightly in boiling salted water. Fava beans want the same treatment, plus a second shuck after blanching. Parsley wants to keep its leaves intact, tossed almost like a salad green into the mixture. Combine everything in a big bowl: bread, vegetables, and cheese. Soft, velvety stracchino is a lovely option, but lots of cheeses work, like feta or mozzarella or something else entirely. Season with salt and lemon zest, and dress with lemon juice and olive oil to taste. It should taste like spring, and you should keep wanting to go back for more.
After lunch, we went to Giorgia’s local gelateria and got affogati (gelato with a shot of espresso poured on top). I ordered mine with a scoop of stracciatella, and I already know that it will be my saving grace this summer when it gets hot hot hot.
I’m back to work in exactly 30 minutes (inhale, exhale) and will be busy all the way up until my trip to Dublin on Friday. Eeeee! Can’t wait to return to Ireland, where I first started this newsletter in 2021.
Lots of love to you and yours,
Phoebs
Thanks for the recipe! Can't wait to try it. xoxox