A recipe inspired by Chef Bruno’s childhood memory, dirty plate from Simone’s garden is a rustic salad with a gourmet touch served at the famous Chez Bruno. Chef Bruno relates the story of his childhood, which played a part in the making of this charming dish. In those days, he went to school on Wednesdays and the next day was his day off from school. Every Thursday, it was a tradition for him and his mother to have lunch at Simone’s (a friend of the family) and eat at her back garden.

The place was very simple and friendly but one day chef Bruno as a young boy noticed that the plates were not too clean; there were some black stains. When they left Simone’s house that day he said to his mother that they should not go to Simone’s anymore because the plates were dirty. Years went by, and 35 years later, he found himself reminiscing fondly about this childhood experience.

It was early morning in Cannes when he went to the market and saw all these stalls and all these people bringing vegetables that he remembered Simone and her garden. He suddenly thought of making a dish called, “dirty plate from Simone’s garden” in memory of those childhood days.

He made this simple and delicious dish, which is all simplicity and warmth to recapture the memory in Simone’s little house. In this recipe he combines fresh local ingredients including artichokes, carrots, spring onions, rocket leaves, beans, radishes, white asparagus, and truffles, adding a touch of sophistication to the dish.

When making this recipe, start by dirtying the edge of the plate with some pepper to get the effect of badly washed plate from Simone’s garden. Keep it simple and fresh for a lovely starter. Serve with some grilled toast for a ravishing meal.

Ingredients

2 small Batavia lettuce

3.5 oz. corn salad

1 bunch radish

4 violet artichokes

4 young carrots

some very thin string beans

olive oil

balsamic vinegar

3.5 oz. fresh summer truffles

some wild asparagus

Preparation Instructions
1

Slice the vegetables into thin rounds.

2

Prepare a salad bed and sprinkle the vegetables around, evenly distributing the colors and the flavors.

3

Blanche the string beans and asparagus and arrange them on the dish.

4

Mince the artichokes and sauté in a pan with olive oil. Once cooked, place the vegetables on the salad.

5

Sprinkle with some drops vinegar and grated truffle - not only on the salad, but also on the edge of each dish, giving the dish a “dirty” look.

6

Do the same with the pepper, Guerande salt, and oil.

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