Carmel and Gus are my greengrocers. They are my fruttivendoli (plural as there are two of them). Frutti+ vendelo= fruit+ seller = fruttivendolo. Below are the grapes I bought from them.
I have been shopping at their stall in The Queen Victoria Market throughout the thirteen years that I have been residing in Melbourne. Before that I lived close to the Adelaide Market.
As you can see in the photos the range and quality of the vegetables and fruit is vast and I am able to purchase some produce that is not available anywhere else in the market. I love Fichi d’India (prickly pears).
My Fruttivendolo is open on Thursday to Saturday.
Here are some of the dishes I have prepared with their produce:
Fichi d’india (prickly pears in a salad with pumpkin, purslane, labneh and black tahini).
Fig tart. I cannot resist figs. A layer of short sweet pastry, mascarpone and fresh figs with a drizzle of orange and dates whipped together with a little Cointreau .
Salad of watercress, black grapes, beetroot etc.
Prickly pears have prickles and need to be handled carefully. For how to peel prickly pears, see:
Prickly Pears Fichi D’india and A Paste Called Mostarda
Mascarpone:
Mascarpone and Its Many Uses. How to Make It at Home
Labneh:
WATERMELON, LABNEH and DUKKAH salad