Watermelon and Feta Salad
with
Chef John Mitzewich
Unsure about combining feta cheese and watermelon? You'll be convinced after one bite of this salad. The creamy, salty cheese is a perfect match for the sweet, juicy melon.
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Transcript: Watermelon and Feta Salad
Hi, I'm Chef John Mitzewich for About.com Food. Today we're doing a very unusual dish, but incredibly delicious and refreshing: watermelon and feta salad.Watermelon and Feta Salad Ingredients
For this recipe, you'll need:- 1 seedless watermelon, sweet and delicious
- 3ounces feta cheese, which is creamy and salty
- some aromatic fresh mint
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup rice vinegar
Ways to Remove Watermelon From the Rind
Now, this salad is incredibly delicious and very unusual. There are three ways we can liberate this watermelon from the rind.There's what's know as the spooners. They don't mess around with any fancy tools; they just scoop it out.
There are the cubers - you might be a cuber. They cut off the rind and cut it into squares. It's kind of cool.
Use a Melon Scoop to Remove Watermelon
But I'm a traditionalist. I'm what's know in the business as a baller. I use a melon baller, melon scoop, the Parisian scoop if you what to be all French. I'm going to use the melon baller to do mine.By the way, I'm not going to throw away the other melon I showed; I'll add all together. But, I think the melon baller looks nice, looks fancy.
Make the Salad Dressing
So, scoop out your watermelon and put it in a bowl, and you're going to add your dressing, which is so simple, it's unbelievably easy.Add your oil, your vinegar, and a couple grinds of black pepper. Yes pepper - this is a savory dish.
What about salt? No salt, the feta is salty enough. Mix this all together and chill for 15 minutes, which will give you time to prep your mint and final plate.
Cut the Mint Leaves
Were going to chiffanade the mint, which means cut it into fine ribbons. Why didn't I just say that? Because I wanted to use the fancy French term. Like Steve Martin said, 'The French have a different word for everything."Combine the Watermelon and Feta Cheese
Now we line our plate with light, crispy butter lettuce. Using a slotted spoon arrange the watermelon nicely on the plate.Then crumble over that delicious creamy sheep's milk feta cheese. The salty contrast with the sweet melon is unbelievable.
You have to try this. You have to taste this. I know it seems weird, but this will be the hit of the picnic.
Add Fresh Mint to the Salad
To finish were going with that aromatic fresh mint, which brings it all together. And a little more black pepper at the end so there's a little on the feta.That is a superstar, cold summer salad. You're probably thinking, Does it taste as good as it looks? No, it tastes better!
Again, the reason it's so spectacular is the contrast between that salty creamy cheese and that sweet juicy watermelon. Give this a try.
Thanks for watching. To learn more, visit us on the Web at food.about.com