I was never one of those kids that hates greens. It’s always been a myth for me – what is there not to like about vegetables? When still alive, my grandfather used to have an allotment (now looked after by my uncle) and the warmer season meant a lot of tasty and colourful veggies to wash, prepare and eat all together while spending the summer months at my grandparents’ house.

I can still clearly remember the year my uncle planted strawberries for the first time and the summer they were ready to pick! As an all-berries-fanatic, I was over the moon at the sight of the very first tiny red fruit. In their garden, my grandparents grew apricot, cherry, fig, and persimmon trees. And there was always an abundance of apples, pears, and pumpkins too. They also had a wild plant of redcurrant – I was always surprised at how heavy the bush would become with the rounded fruits. We would eat them directly from the bush.  

When we run out of ways to cook all those vegetables, my grandma used to make a northerner’s version of the caponata… called peperonata – with peppers, beans, French beans, potatoes, carrots, courgettes and a bit of this and that… I felt almost addicted to the comforting taste of the dish, which had summer written all over it. I later discovered that grandma was adding a bit of butter (she used to add it to most things!) and sugar too. So, it turned out that those ingredients might indeed have been the culprits of my addiction!

There was another summer staple in our family that I’m sure you’ll be familiar with – minestrone. Yes, it might seem a wintery dish at first, but we would eat it lukewarm rather than hot in the summer, preparing it without rice or pasta so that it would be a lighter dish. The word minestrone is a useful one to know, as it has more than one meaning. You can use it in different contexts… no need to learn a new word 😉!