This summer break, we’re bringing to you a delicious compilations of student contributions: A set of recipes any student can revisit any time they’re looking for a new dish to cook or a bite of nostalgia. We will be featuring dishes passed down through families, tweaked and perfected by each new generation. They were written in Fall 2024 by students of Professor Campisi’s Writing for College course, which focused on composing food related stories that revealed the power of memory and comfort in what and how we eat.
Studying abroad, many Marist Italy Foxes are on their own for the first time and are perhaps new students of the kitchen. Others are experienced foodies and chefs who are ready to take their culinary skills to the next level. Hopefully, this recipe series will suit both purposes – those of the novice, and those of the learned.
Perfect for practicing over the break, or bookmarking to try once you’re back here on Florence, Marist brings to you a collection of our Florence students’ family recipes!
Shopska Salad
By Alexandra Stamatov
A recipe that is very dear to me and simple to follow is a traditional Shopska salad. Many may know it as a Greek salad, depending on one’s cultural background. There isn’t a lot of room to do something wrong with a Shopska salad. The measurements are all by eye, depending on how many people you’re making the salad for or how much of each ingredient you prefer to taste.
Ingredients for one portion
- 1 bowl
- Half of 1 cucumber
- 1 tomato
- Quarter of an onion
- Chopped parsley
- Feta cheese
- Sunflower oil/olive oil
- Salt
- 1 bowl
Recipe
- Wash the cucumber and tomato, then cut them into large pieces.
- Cut up the quarter of an onion and mix into bowl with.
- Add 1-2 tablespoons of your preferred oil into bowl and mix.
- Add however much salt to your bowl and mix. I put a little amount of salt because the feta cheese is salty.
- Crush the feta cheese with your fingers or a fork. If you don’t want to mix the feta cheese with the vegetables and fruit, you can cut it into a cube and leave it on the side of the plate.
- Sprinkle the chopped parsley on top.
Et voila!
My grandfather’s method for frozen parsley
To keep your parsley fresh and handy, able to be used right away for any dish… You take newly bought parsley, remove the stems, and cut it finely. Place it inside an airtight container and then keep in the freezer. This way, the parsley can last for as long as a year. It doesn’t spoil this way and will last you whatever the amount of time it takes for you to use it. This is especially helpful if you buy a big quantity of parsley and aren’t using it fast enough.
Final Notes
I know the Shopska salad as a traditional Bulgarian salad that is ideal for any time of the year, but especially during the Summer. The cold salad has the power to freshen one right up. I’m completely grateful to my granny for making me watch how she makes the salad when I was a little kid in middle school. At the time, I would rather have been playing with my legos, but now, as a college student who is constantly running around with things to do, I see the importance of knowing how to make a fast, easy, and refreshing dish.
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