Taste for Fit

For more than a month, Facebook fans of Vienna House hotels in Poland were fighting for the title of the best fit recipe in the culinary competition Taste for Fit (Smak Na Fit). It was organized by Vienna House hotels in Poland partnered up with Rodzice.pl, Kobieta.pl and the Berlin tourist portal Visitberlin.de. All recipes were reviewed by our experts – culinary chefs: Marcin Socha, Mirosław Jabłoński, Sebastian Sikorski, Małgorzata Strzelecka and Rafał Pacoń.
It was worth struggling in this culinary battle. The winner received a voucher for a 5-day stay in the design, recently opened Vienna House Easy Berlin. In addition, the prizes included vouchers for weekend stays at any of the Vienna House hotels in Poland.
The verdict was unanimous. From among over 200 submitted recipes, the recipe for the salad with grilled, green asparagus, strawberries, feta cheese, roasted hazelnuts, pansies, violets and strawberry vinaigrette was acclaimed as the best one. A large dose of vitamins, minerals, potassium, calcium and fibre. Apart from the composition, also photos of the dish and justification were taken into account. The author of the winning recipe said that it combines “Polish seasonal flavours, such as asparagus, strawberries, hazelnuts and violets, with Greek feta and Asian mango, being a feast not only for the taste buds, but also for the eyes.” After all, being fit means much more than a few lettuce leaves on a plate. The best proof of that are the photos. It would be a pity not to try it at home.

Ingredients (for 2 people):

• bunch of green asparagus;
• 200 g strawberries;
• half of small mango;
• 100 g feta cheese;
• 100 g hazelnuts;
• handful of arugula;
• several different colourful pansies (organic);
• several violets;
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar;
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice;
• 1/2 cup olive oil;
• 1 teaspoon mild honey;
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper (to taste);

Preparation:
Tear off the woody ends of the asparagus and discard them (you can use them to cook asparagus broth), wash the remaining parts and drain them on a paper towel. Heat a grill pan, arrange asparagus on it, press the top and grill on both sides over medium heat for approx. 2 minutes. Roast nuts on a dry pan until their skin cracks and becomes slightly brown, then cool and peel. Wash arugula, pansies, violets and strawberries and drain them on paper towels. Peel the mango and cut it into cubes. Mix 2 strawberries with lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, honey and olive oil, then season to taste with salt and pepper. Put salad ingredients on plates, pour vinaigrette over the salad.