Chef Licia shares with us a favourite recipe and some interesting food principles.

According to Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) every organ in the body corresponds to a season, with the relative organ working harder during their particular season. Summer is the season of the heart and small intestines. During the summer months these organs require the right support, in this instance nourishing the body with food that is nutritious, but also light and fresh.
As the Mediterranean diet often suggests, it is better for our heart and small intestines to choose light cooking styles such as, steaming, boiling or even better raw. Typical summer season ingredients are naturally rich in water, supporting us with all the vitamins and mineral salts that our body requires. Not only does this aid the small intestines with absorption and strengthen the heart; an additional benefit is how good these ingredients are in keeping our skin hydrated.

During the summer months we can bring to the dining table an entire rainbow of colour, just like a summer festival. The colour of the summer fruits and vegetables are a beautiful kaleidoscope, which satisfy the eyes as well as the pallet.

So we hope you will enjoy this simple yet refined summer recipe.

Raw fish carpaccio with fresh summer vegetable pesto

Serves 4 people:

500g of fish fillet (amber jack fish, tuna, sea bream ecc.)
½ a fennel
1 courgette
3-4 radishes
1 carrot
100g of celeriac
1 small bunch of rocket
30 grams of fresh ginger

For the Dressing:
1 tsp of white vinegar
2-3 tsp of soy sauce
1 lemon
80g extra virgin olive oil
Salt & pepper
Daikon sprouts to garnish

Preparation
Finely chop the rocket and ginger in a food processor, blend the radish and the fennel together with the extra-virgin olive oil, and blend with the rocket and ginger.
Finely dice the green part of the courgette, the carrot and the celeriac, add some olive oil and put aside in the fridge.

Cut the fish in very thin slices. Arrange the slices on plates that have been previously brushed with a dressing of olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Season the vegetable pesto with salt, pepper, soy sauce, white vinegar and lemon juice.
Cover the sliced fish with the vegetable pesto, add a tiny bit of olive oil, garnish with the daikon sprouts and serve straight away.

Note: Season the vegetable pesto at the very last minute in order to preserve the freshness and crunchiness.

Ingredients such as fish, vegetables and the right seasoning, with a dash of spice and chill given by the ginger and the rocket, make this recipe a simple yet refined dish, representing one of the many varieties of Mediterranean cuisine.