An Ode to Salad – Watermelon that is

Ahhh… summer is here in full force…which means tons of fresh fruits and vegetables, perfect for summer salads.

Let’s be honest, there was a time when I didn’t like salads. More monotonous green lettuce smothered in ranch? I mean, fine. But that’s basically eating a condiment and not vegetables. This boring thing has little nutritional value and is not too pretty to look at. No wonder I wasn’t enthused.

But if you look at the basic elements of a salad: colorful vegetables, fresh ingredients, and accoutrement designed to enhance and not mask flavors; I like all of those things. So where did the idea of salad go awry?

That is a difficult question to answer. But it is easy to tell you how I became excited about them again. I simply stopped thinking about the traditional salad, and focused on the basics. There are tons of tasty fruits and vegetables, so why not find a recipe that highlights one and if it happens to be a form of salad, all the better!

So this summer I would like to do an Ode to the Salad and share some of my favorite recipes. Serve them as a main course, side dish or appetizer and soon you might be excited about salad again too.

Before we start, I leave you with a few tips for making an excellent salad:

• Think about your favorite vegetable or fruit and try to highlight it
• Try a combination of textures – a little crunch can brighten up a dish quickly
• Use something sweet in a savory recipe or vice versa
• Don’t be afraid of a little spice!

That being said – watermelon salad anyone?

First, let’s mix up a quick vinaigrette.

In a medium bowl, combine olive oil, juice from one lemon, salt, pepper and hot sauce. Mix thoroughly

Finely dice a small sweet onion and add to the vinaigrette. Coat onion with the mixture and set aside.

Time for the melon! Start with a beautifully ripe, sweet watermelon. I prefer seedless because I eat entirely too fast to spend time removing the seeds.

You need about one half of a watermelon. Cut off the rind and chop into equal sized cubes. I prefer them to be between about 3/4 inch cubes. When you have them cut, dump them in a large bowl.

Add some feta and roughly chopped mint. Mix the onion/vinaigrette topping again and pour on top. Gently toss everything together.

Enjoy!

Watermelon Salad with Feta and Mint

Adapted from Jacques Pépin

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
• Juice from 1 lemon
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon hot sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
• 1 small sweet onion, finely diced
• 1/2 of a large watermelon, cut into 3/4 inch chunks
• 1 cup feta cheese
• 1 bunch mint leaves, chopped

Instructions

1. In a medium sized bowl whisk together oil, lemon juive, salt, pepper and hot sauce. Dice the onions and add to the mixture.
2. In a large bowl combined chopped watermelon and feta. Drizzle the dressing on top and gently mix.