Mangoes, Mint and the Raptor

My husband who is really interested in having "real" food, found this idea in one of Nigel Slater's books, the one that's called THE KITCHEN DIARIES.

This is an idea for a really simple summer meal with lots of flavor. When I say "real", we are talking food as you find it, not mixed with additives. I know that is hard to do these days but do it , you'll be proud of yourself!

Here is how it goes:

Cook a cup ( 2 servings) of bulgar wheat in boiling salted water. Nigel says to just soak it in cold water but I was skeptical about that and cooked it like I have always done. Then I drained the bulgar under cold water to use as a cold salad.

We then chopped up the leaves from about 8 sprigs of mint from the garden and some parsley. A ripe mango was diced and added to the mix along with a few slurpy slugs of good fruity olive oil. Next and last, some salt and pepper.

We ( husband and wife cooking team today) served it with a couple of kinds of ham we were trying for comparison, one italian and one french ( I still like the cured ham from Italy better than cooked ham but it is personal preference.)

Of course, a really crusty bread is a welcome addition to the meal.

While we were sitting on the terrace a sparrowhawk came down and plucked a small bird right out of the olive tree on the hill behind us.

Talk about fresh food!!....

I suppose ,every creature has his own take on what makes a good summer lunch.