Being fifty-something, one knows one’s place.

One is well aware that one is not a food blogger. No matter how hard one tries.

(Discovering PoachPods for oneself does not transform one into a food blogger.)

Still, when one attracts (consistent) high praise for one’s signature salad, one feels compelled to share one’s recipe with one’s readership, even when one is so uncomfortable with the notion that one refers to oneself in “royal third person” voice throughout one’s blogpost.

One has a repertoire of “one’s signatures” … one’s signature dessert, one’s signature soup, one’s signature celebration cake, one’s signature starter.

“One’s signatures” are those recipes that are high on presentation and results, but low on degree of difficulty.

They’re the recipes on which one can rely; the recipes which one knows one can’t f@*k up. No matter how hard one tries.

One has once again trotted out one’s signature salad for the pre-Christmas flurry of summery BBQs (one lives in the Southern Hemisphere). And, once again, one has been besieged with requests for one’s recipe.

One can take a hint so one presents one’s signature salad recipe for one’s readers’ delectation.

One’s Signature Salad

(serves one plus many, many more of one’s guests or acquaintances)

350g bowtie pasta

375g fresh peas shelled or one and a quarter cups frozen peas

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

One lemon, rind finely grated

200g marinated feta cheese, drained and cut into small cubes

One bunch rocket, trimmed, leaves torn

One third a cup of toasted pine nuts

1. Cook pasta in a large saucepan of boiling salted water, following packet directions, or until tender. Add peas to pan 3 minutes before pasta is ready. Drain pasta and peas. Rinse under lukewarm water. Drain. Transfer to a bowl.

2. Add oil, lemon rind, feta, rocket, pine nuts and salt and pepper to pasta. Toss gently to combine. Serve.

One knows that the hero in one’s salad is the bowtie pasta … it dresses one’s salad up, making it look damned fine and fancy.

One sourced this recipe from one’s aged edition of Super Food Ideas magazine.

One now lives in hope that one’s signature salad will be adopted by one’s readership, to be known forever, far and wide, henceforth as Sheryl’s Signature Salad.

One won’t hold one’s breath.