The salad with oats and vegetables is a light and delicious summer main course to enjoy cold. It can be prepared well in advance, to be served when needed. The salad with oats can be enriched with all the spices and seasonal vegetables available, such as fresh green beans, eggplants, green peppers (the so-called “Neapolitan friggitelli”), lettuce, olives, tuna, and so on, allowing us to create combinations of flavors and aromas that are always different. It’s perfect as a work lunch due to its lightness.
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Cheap
- Rest time: 30 Minutes
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 4
- Cooking methods: Boiling
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Spring, Summer
Ingredients
- 7 oz hulled oats
- 3 1/4 cups water
- 2 carrots
- 2 zucchini
- 1 stalk celery
- to taste arugula (optional)
- 10 cherry tomatoes
- 1 1/2 fresh spring onion
- to taste turmeric
- to taste extra virgin olive oil
- to taste fine salt
Preparation
Rinse the hulled oats under running water, then transfer them to a pot along with the water. Bring to a boil and cook according to the package instructions (about 25 minutes).
Wash the celery, zucchini, and carrots, remove the waste parts, and cut them into not-too-small cubes.
Wash the cherry tomatoes and cut them into wedges.
After the time has elapsed, taste (the oats should not become mushy but should remain quite firm), salt, stir, turn off, and let them cool; then we can drain them from the cooking liquid.
While the oats cool, heat some water. As soon as it boils, salt the water, wait for it to return to a boil, add the zucchini, and let them boil for only three minutes. Drain and let cool; we’ll leave the carrots and celery raw instead.
Chop the fresh spring onion, season the oats with all the vegetables, cut into cubes, turmeric (fresh or powdered), extra virgin olive oil, and a pinch of fine salt, if necessary. Mix and let rest for at least half an hour before enjoying it cold or at room temperature.
