Serves 4
During last week's heatwave, my friends and I made lists of dinners that require no cooking at all or very little. Some dishes began with a rotisserie chicken. Fair enough. Heat up someone else's kitchen. Others required a pot of water, a steamer, or a skillet, but not an oven. You could steam green beans, boil potatoes or pasta, saute zucchini. I made a vat of gazpacho and this watermelon feta salad. I didn't turn on a burner for either one. You want a wedge of seedless watermelon for this salad or buy one of those small seedless ones, about the size of a basketball, called ‘personal watermelons.’ I add thinly sliced cucumber, which is layered with salt and left for 15 minutes to lose its excess liquid. Red onion adds a little bite to the bowl, a jalapeno some spice. A handful of fresh mint leaves makes the salad even more refreshing. Add the feta in thick slices so it still has some shape when you stir the contents of the bowl. The recipe doubles easily enough for a larger group, but it's best after only a couple of hours in the fridge. You want watermelon that still has its juices and its fresh, pristine, crisp texture intact.
3
small cucumbers, very thinly sliced
Salt, to taste
2
pounds seedless watermelon
½
red onion, very thinly sliced
4
ounces feta, cut into thick 1-inch slices
1
jalapeno or other chile pepper, cored and thinly sliced
1
tablespoon white wine vinegar or sherry vinegar
3
tablespoons olive oil
¼
cup pitted Kalamata or other black olives
Handful fresh mint leaves
1. In a bowl, layer the cucumbers with a generous pinch of salt between the layers. Set aside for 15 minutes.
2. Cut off and discard the watermelon rind. Cut the watermelon into 1-inch pieces. There may be a few seeds in the flesh; remove them with the tip of a knife.
3. In a bowl large enough to hold all the ingredients, combine the watermelon and onion. Lift the cucumber from the bowl, leaving the liquid behind, and add the slices to the watermelon mixture.
4. Add the feta, jalapeno, vinegar, olive oil, and olives. With a rubber spatula, stir gently. Add the mint and stir gently again.
5. Taste for seasoning and add more vinegar or olive oil, if you like.
Sheryl Julian
Serves 4
During last week's heatwave, my friends and I made lists of dinners that require no cooking at all or very little. Some dishes began with a rotisserie chicken. Fair enough. Heat up someone else's kitchen. Others required a pot of water, a steamer, or a skillet, but not an oven. You could steam green beans, boil potatoes or pasta, saute zucchini. I made a vat of gazpacho and this watermelon feta salad. I didn't turn on a burner for either one. You want a wedge of seedless watermelon for this salad or buy one of those small seedless ones, about the size of a basketball, called ‘personal watermelons.’ I add thinly sliced cucumber, which is layered with salt and left for 15 minutes to lose its excess liquid. Red onion adds a little bite to the bowl, a jalapeno some spice. A handful of fresh mint leaves makes the salad even more refreshing. Add the feta in thick slices so it still has some shape when you stir the contents of the bowl. The recipe doubles easily enough for a larger group, but it's best after only a couple of hours in the fridge. You want watermelon that still has its juices and its fresh, pristine, crisp texture intact.
| 3 | small cucumbers, very thinly sliced |
| Salt, to taste | |
| 2 | pounds seedless watermelon |
| ½ | red onion, very thinly sliced |
| 4 | ounces feta, cut into thick 1-inch slices |
| 1 | jalapeno or other chile pepper, cored and thinly sliced |
| 1 | tablespoon white wine vinegar or sherry vinegar |
| 3 | tablespoons olive oil |
| ¼ | cup pitted Kalamata or other black olives |
| Handful fresh mint leaves |
1. In a bowl, layer the cucumbers with a generous pinch of salt between the layers. Set aside for 15 minutes.
2. Cut off and discard the watermelon rind. Cut the watermelon into 1-inch pieces. There may be a few seeds in the flesh; remove them with the tip of a knife.
3. In a bowl large enough to hold all the ingredients, combine the watermelon and onion. Lift the cucumber from the bowl, leaving the liquid behind, and add the slices to the watermelon mixture.
4. Add the feta, jalapeno, vinegar, olive oil, and olives. With a rubber spatula, stir gently. Add the mint and stir gently again.
5. Taste for seasoning and add more vinegar or olive oil, if you like.
Sheryl Julian can be reached at sheryl.julian@globe.com.