Best Ever Summertime Salad

Whatever your doing right now, stop!

Wait a second, your reading my blog, never mind, continue reading.

Let me rephrase, whatever you have planned after you finish reading my blog, forget about it! What I want you to do instead, is to put on some comfortable shoes and take a stroll down to your local produce store. Once you are there I advise you to place in your basket a dribbling hunk of watermelon. It should be whole not diced, though you will not need an entire melon so a half will suffice. Next, I want you to head over to the tomatoes. If they have heirloom, don't be intimidated by their freakish looks, snatch them up I say. If no, that's alright, grab the ones that look the most colorful, ripe, and ready to be taken home, if you know what I mean, wink wink. Now that your two chief ingredients are secured, I invite you to finish things off with a bundle of fresh mint, a red onion, 1/4-1/2 lb. of feta cheese, and a lime.

Having completed my modest requests, and returned to your kitchen, you are now ready to make yourself the best - and I say this in all seriousness - ever summertime salad. Don't believe me? Then follow these instruction and see for yourself.

Best Ever Summertime Salad

Ingredients:
1/2 pint of cherry tomatoes
3/4 pint of grape tomatoes (i used yellow)
2 medium sized heirloom tomatoes
4-5 quarter inch slices of water melon
1/4 lb of feta cheese
handful of mint, diced
red onion, pickled or raw
1/4 cup of good flavored olive oil
juice of 1/2 lime
sea salt to taste

1.) Cut grape tomatoes in half, grape tomatoes into thirds, and rustically dice the heirlooms
2.)Combine tomatoes and lightly squeeze to release the juices
3.) Add the remaining ingredients, minus the melon, and toss lightly
4.) Using a circular cookie cutter, cut disks out of the melon flesh
5.) Place melon disks on salad plate, poke with a fork a few times (to soak up dressing) and cover with tomato salad.
6.) Drizzle with dressing, pomegranate molasses, if you have it, and fresh pepper




There are endless ways you could serve this versatile salad. Seared scallops, grilled shrimp skewers, or ceviche would make the perfect accompaniment. Or, serve it as an appetizer for heavier meals such a barbecue, or a refreshing counterpoint to rich Thai and Indian Curries. Then again, you could enjoy it all by its lonesome as I did after a long day out in the simmering sun of Brighten Beach.


*WARNING - Be advised, if consumed,this salad may cause an irrational and insatiable desire to eat nothing but watermelon, tomatoes and feta. All other foods may be rendered inedible, all other salads, unpalatable. The only way to cure this ravaging fever, is to eat tons and tons of The Best Ever Summertime Salad.