The end of summer and a rustic sandwich with pumpkin, radicchio and olives

The end of summer and a picnic

Perhaps not into the wild, but definitely into the wilderness: this end of summer tastes like raspberries, figs, and apples ready to be picked. The film festival starts tomorrow and once that ends, we'll be really stepping into beautiful autumn. But for now, I am enjoying my escapes to the dunes of the beach of San Nicolò in Lido, where I can listen to the birds and the rustling of leaves.

In this post I'm sharing some pics from a windy yet sunny day and a recipe idea for a rustic picnic.

From P.le S.M.Elisabetta, I take the bus to Piazzale Ravà and once off, I follow one of the pathways that lead to the shore, and I usually choose one particular big tree as 'base camp'. Someone improvised a sort of mini hut, with cut tree trunks as stools and a small wooden table. The leaves and branches create a natural alcove so, if it starts to rain, you can shelter yourself a little. It's very simple and naturally minimalistic, but I find it cute and very practical.

The area is one of the protected oasis by WWF on the island, and it's rich in biodiversity. The colours are beautiful throughout the year, especially after the rain. The walk along the pier is quite long, and I recommend good shoes. At the end, the lighthouse, surrounded by rocks, where Vittorio likes to bike and dive into the water so high that he can't reach the sand with his feet.

It was a bit too windy for me to swim, so I just wandered around and picked some flowers for mum and for myself, to make our homes prettier. I was armed with a thermos of hot tea, a sandwich and some fruit, so I ate them at my base and then went for a long walk, before returning to Venice.

A couple of hours of peace, and lots more photos to share in the coming days. XXX

RECIPE: SANDWICH WITH ROSEMARY PUMPKIN, RADICCHIO AND LECCINO OLIVES

Ingredients (for 2):

1/2 pumpkin

rosemary

3 cloves of garlic

4 slices of sourdough bread (I used a brown bread)

1 radicchio

2 teaspoons of Leccino olives (or other black olives)

Add-in for omnivores: bacon

Add-in for vegetarians: a seasoned cheese like Castelmagno

Method: 1. Remove seeds and skin from pumpkin, cut into wedges, and bake with 3 crushed cloves of garlic, some rosemary, a pinch of salt and a couple of spoons of olive oil at 180° for 50 minutes. When ready, blend half into a purée and keep aside. You won't need all the pumpkin for the sandwiches.

2. Toast the slices of sourdough bread for about 5 minutes, or until they become brown on one side but are still soft on the other. Spread some mashed pumpkin on the bottom slice, add a diced wedge of pumpkin, some chopped radicchio, the black olives, the add-in of your choice and top with the other slice of bread. Wrap the sandwich well and you are ready to go!