Farmers' Market Friday - A Way with Watermelon {Kicked Up Watermelon Feta Salad}

Growing up in South Texas, watermelon was a beloved summer treat. Back in those days, there wasn't much choice when it came to the fruit. They were giant, ovular fruits, striped with the light and darker green and riddled with seeds. Due to their enormous size, chilling one down usually meant that Honey (my dad) would get out the old cooler, fill it with ice and ice water, put the melon in there and wait....and wait....until finally his sixth sense would tell him that it was cold enough. We'd lug that melon inside and he'd pull out his giant carving knife and slice off thick slabs of melon. A quick shake of salt on the melon flesh, and then,  we'd either take the wedges outside to eat, allowing the juice to run down our faces and seeing who could spit their seeds the farthest, or, I'd have a big circle slab on a large plate and go to work with a melon baller. As a kid, there was something magical about those little balls scooped fresh from the melon. 

Today, of course, seedless melons are readily available and the sizes are completely refrigerator sized as well (not to mention relatively tiny personal sized melons, too.) There also seems to have been an explosion of recipes using melon in inventive ways - soups, drinks, salads, relishes - you name it, and there is probably a melon recipe for it.

Considering our recent virtual culinary trip to the Levant and thinking of a "medi-eastern" influence again, for this week's Farmer's Market Friday offering, we'll use watermelon in yet another light, refreshing and surprising salad.

For this recipe, the ingredients from the market include:

• watermelon
• Olive oil

Kicked up Watermelon and Feta Salad

• 6 C watermelon cubes
• 1/4-1/3 C mint, finely chopped
• 1/3 C olive oil
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 Tsp Sriracha sauce
• 1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the oil, lemon juice, salt & pepper and Sriracha sauce.
2. Add watermelon and mint. Stir to coat with the dressing. Sprinkle with the crumbled feta and serve.

The sweetness of the watermelon is highlighted by the tart lemon, the saltiness of the feta and the wonderful mint. Add in that sweet hot kick from the Sriracha and you've got a lovely salad to go along side some chicken kabobs or grilled lamb chops. 

Happy Cooking!

sld

Disclosure: I was invited by Wolf Ranch Farmer's Market to visit and meet the vendors and was provided Market Money with which to purchase ingredients for use in the Farmers' Market Friday posts.  I was not compensated to write this article and all opinions are my own.

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