Listed below to torture you and make you really, really hungry are the three finalists in the “Everything Else” category of the What About Watermelon Recipe Contest. Take a look and decide which one you like the best. The polls to determine the winner will open on Saturday! (I know I said yesterday that the polls will open on Friday, but the voting actually starts on Saturday.)
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Red, White and Blue Watermelon Salad
SUBMITTED BY: Mary L. of Columbia, SC
WATERMELON GUY SAYS: It’s hard not to love a patriotic recipe like this, and as salads go, this one is an all-American classic. Watermelon, blueberries, arugula, feta cheese … all the ingredients of a summer classic.
INGREDIENTS
3 cups watermelon bite-sized cubes or balls
1 cup ripe blueberries
6 ounces feta cheese
5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup hot water
Freshly ground pepper to taste
1 bunch arugula, trimmed with tough stems discarded
4 sprigs fresh oregano, roughly chopped
DIRECTIONS
In a large bowl, toss watermelon and blueberries. Combine the feta, olive oil and hot water in a blender and puree until smooth. Season with pepper and additional salt if you wish. Divide arugula between four salad plates. Top with watermelon and blueberries and drizzle with feta puree. Sprinkle with chopped oregano. Serve immediately. Serves 4
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Summers’ Watermelon Pasta Salad
SUBMITTED BY: Paula M. or Lenhartsville, PA
WATERMELON GUY SAYS: The only thing better than a regular salad is a pasta salad, and one of the best ways to make a great pasta salad is to add watermelon… and pieces of orange… and mozzarella cheese… and basil. Let’s just all agree that this recipe is pretty close to perfect and start eating ASAP.
INGREDIENTS
12 oz. bow tie pasta, cooked according to package Directions
1/4 cup olive oil, divided; 3/4tsp. crushed coriander seeds
1 small-medium orange, segmented, plus any juices
1-1/2 cup 1-inch watermelon balls; 1/3 cup pecan halves, toasted
1 cup (8oz.) bocconcini, small mozzarella balls
1 bumch fresh basil. leaves torn
1/8tsp. – 1/4tsp. ground cinnamon, to taste
salt, pepper to taste
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place pasta in a large mixing bowl with 1 teaspoon olive oil. Toss, then set aside.
Meanwhile, in a small skillet combine remaining olive oil and coriander seed and toast over medium to high heat for 1 minute. Cool 1-2 minutes. Add remaining ingredients, cooled oil mixture, salt, pepper, and ground cinnamon to taste and toss gently till blended. Serve.
I really enjoy making and serving this summer salad to family and friends. I love the combination of fruit, cheese and pasta, along, with the flavors of coriander, basil and a touch of cinnamon. Quick and easy to fix, pretty, and very tasty; all your quests will be impressed. This salad came about unexpectedly. Not having any time to go shopping when unexpected company showed up, I had to throw together something for us to enjoy. Using what I had on hand, I came up with this pleasingly delicious salad. Hope you agree!
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Indian-Style Watermelon Wrap
SUBMITTED BY: Apeksha D. of Cambridge, MA
WATERMELON GUY SAYS: Indian food is misunderstood a lot of times, which is unfortunate because, well, it’s pretty awesome. Wraps are pretty awesome, too. Put the two together and you’ve got a pretty awesome recipe. If you don’t believe me, try it for yourself. I’ll wait right here until you’re done.
INGREDIENTS
1 large watermelon
2 tbs. salt
1 tsp. sugar
½ tbs. cumin seed
½ tbs. mustard seed
1 tsp. red pepper
4 tbs. vegetable oil
1 whole-wheat pita wrap
¼ lime
DIRECTIONS
Cut up the watermelon so that you end up with dices of the white part of the melon (no rind and no sweet red interior). Heat up a pan with oil and then place cumin seeds and mustard seeds into the pan. Once the seeds start popping, quickly add watermelon, red pepper, salt and sugar. Mix slowly and allow the natural sugars from the watermelon to caramelize. While this finishes carmelizing, warm up pita on hot pan. Serve together with chopped up cilantro garnish. Squeeze lime juice on top for freshness.