I don’t know how we got to the last week of August so quickly. But it’s been a wonderful summer here and every chance we’ve gotten, we’ve enjoyed great salads all made, with few exceptions, with ingredients found within five miles of our house. The Watermelons have been a particular draw. Seedless wonders, they’ve made it into salads with tomatoes before. But for a starter that’s truly unique, we’ve served rounds of grilled watermelon topped with the tang of crumbled, salty Feta cheese and laced with sweet Balsamic vinegar reduced to its essence. We also discovered the joyous union of field-ripened tomatoes and local peaches. Onto this paring we’ve added luscious creamy Buratta cheese and once again a drizzle of rich balsamic reduction. Finally, it is virtually impossible to top Ina Garten’s Italian Seafood Salad. Aside from its mingling of fresh seafood—all of which, except for the shrimp, came from our bays and ocean—this salad is an inspired choice for any host. You make the whole thing the night or morning before you serve it. It then chills until lunch or dinnertime. You’ll only be absent from your party for as long as it takes to retrieve it from the fridge. “How easy is that?” as Ms. Garten would say.
First, the Grilled Watermelon with Feta, Balsamic and Mint. I love the children’s editions of adult food shows. I was particularly intrigued by one series that featured a group of young contestants grilling everything in sight. It was there that I saw a young girl produce a close facsimile to today’s Watermelon Salad. I was so impressed; I introduced the idea to a skeptical Andrew. He was leery until the first bite at which point he became not only a convert but also a maker of the salad. Summer reading for me always includes a cookbook or ten. So you can imagine my surprise to discover that my little contestant’s Watermelon effort was a recipe from Patricia Wells’ “The French Kitchen Cookbook” (William Morrow 2013). Ms. Well’s version was a little more elegant than my young friend’s but you have to give points to an eleven year old who knows who Patricia Wells even is.
I wait all summer for field-ripened tomatoes. Despite the fact that our farm stand showcases extraordinarily large hothouse tomatoes from their Memorial Day opening on, there is nothing like the real thing. Since our summer has been very sunny, this year’s crop is sweeter, redder and juicier than ever. Local peaches take almost as long to come to market as the tomatoes. This year, several parings of tomatoes with peaches intrigued us. The acidity of the tomato is a great counterbalance to the sweet peaches. So we borrowed the combination and added our own flourishes. Buratta has supplanted Mozzarella as our cheese of choice this summer. Its creamy liquid center is irresistible. A chiffonade of basil brings the salad color and that heavenly scent of the herb. And can we be forgiven for yet another drizzle of balsamic reduction?
Finally there’s Ina’s salad. We first showcased it in 2013. I include it here because it is well worth repeating. I can’t think of anything better to take to a Labor Day picnic or to serve at your table at the Hampton Classic. So off we go to the recipes.
Recipe for Grilled Watermelon with Feta and Mint
1 Whole or Half Seedless Watermelon (Size dependent on how may servings you need)
1 Container Crumbled Feta Cheese
Balsamic Reduction (Recipe follows)
Mint Leaves
Make the Balsamic Reduction*
Pour Balsamic Vinegar in to saucepan. Heat over medium-high and bring to a rolling boil. Continue to boil the balsamic until reduced by half, watching carefully and swirling the pan occasionally. This should take 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from the heat. Set aside to cool.
*You can also buy Balsamic Glaze but making your own in a large quantity will save you money. Store your glaze in a squirt bottle for easy use.
Slice the watermelon 1 inch thick. Using a template like a small plate or saucer, cut away the watermelon rind to form a disk of melon.
Heat a grill pan or outdoor grill. Quickly sear the watermelon on both sides.
Plate the watermelon. Sprinkle Feta cheese crumbles over the entire surface. Squeeze ribbons of Balsamic Reduction over the Feta.
Make a chiffonade of Mint by piling mint leaves on top of each other, rolling the leaves into a ‘cigarette’ and slicing them with a sharp knife. Sprinkle the mint chiffonade over the dish. Serve at once.
Recipe for Tomato, Peach Salad with Buratta and Basil
Serves 8. Takes 15 minutes to make.
The volume of peaches to tomatoes should be about the same. Assuming your tomatoes are larger than your peaches, this is an approximate number.
3-4 Field Grown Tomatoes
6 Ripe Peaches
2 – 4 oz. Boules of Burrata Cheese
Freshly Ground Pepper
Balsamic Reduction (See above for directions)
With a sharp knife, cut an X at the base of each peach.
Submerge the peaches into rapidly boiling water until the skins begin to separate from the fruit. Remove from boiling water. Put peaches into an ice water bath. Gently remove the skins from all peaches.
Slice peaches into segments (about 6 per peach) pulling the flesh away from the peach pit. Slice those segments in half. Put them on a platter individually, leaving space for the tomatoes.
Slice tomatoes into segments the size you cut the peach. Then half those and put them on the platter in between peaches.
Take the boules of Burrata and pull them apart into 4 pieces. Place the pieces on top of the tomato peach pieces. (Each guest should have a separate piece of burrata.) Scatter coarsely ground pepper over the entire platter. Drizzle Balsamic reduction over tomatoes, peaches and burrata. Serve.
Recipe for Ina Garten’s Italian Seafood Salad
Ina Garten is no stranger to this blog. We love the simplicity of everything she makes and this is no exception. From her latest cookbook “Foolproof” (Clarkson Potter 2012), it’s her take on an Italian restaurant stand-by. But it’s a complete original full of lemon-y sauce magnified by the addition of Limoncello liqueur to give it even more lemon-y punch. The seafood in this dish cooks in no time. This short cooking time is essential to maintain its delicacy, otherwise you will find yourself with rubbery shrimp and tough squid. The best thing to do is to have absolutely everything lined up and ready to go before you start. And that also applies to the sauce. This fragrant mix of garlic, oregano and red pepper flakes is full of diced tomatoes, lemon zest and juice. The addition of a splash of the cooking liquid boosts the seafood flavor even higher. All the ingredients go into a skillet in short order so have them lined up and ready to go too. The last ingredient into the mix is the thinly sliced fennel which adds a licorice crunch to the salad. We served the dish for dinner with only one accompaniment: French bread dripping in garlic butter and I do mean dripping. It was the perfect counterpoint to the lemon-y salad.
Here’s the recipe:
Recipe for Ina Garten’s Italian Seafood Salad
Serves 6 to 8. Takes 1 hour to make then another 3 in the fridge.
1 tablespoon Old Bay seasoning
Kosher salt
1 1/2 pounds (16- to 20-count) peeled and deveined shrimp
1 1/2 cups dry white wine
1 pound sea scallops, halved crosswise
1 pound cleaned fresh calamari, sliced crosswise in 1/2-inch-thick rings
2 pounds fresh mussels
1/2 cup good olive oil
4 teaspoons minced garlic (4 cloves)
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
3 plum tomatoes, seeds and pulp removed and medium-diced
1/3 cup limoncello liqueur
Grated zest of 1 lemon
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons)
Freshly ground black pepper
1 small fennel bulb, trimmed, cored, and thinly sliced crosswise
1/2 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, lightly packed
2 lemons
Fill a large pot with 3 quarts of water and add the Old Bay seasoning and 1 tablespoon of salt. Bring to a boil, add the shrimp, lower the heat, and simmer for 3 minutes, until just firm. With a skimmer or slotted spoon, transfer the shrimp to a large bowl. Leave 2 cups of the poaching liquid in the pot and discard the rest.
Add the wine to the poaching liquid and bring to a boil. Add the scallops, lower the heat, and simmer for 2 minutes, until just cooked. With the skimmer, transfer the scallops to the bowl with the shrimp. Bring the poaching liquid back to a boil, add the calamari, and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes, until just cooked. Be careful not to overcook any of the seafood or it will be tough! With the skimmer, transfer the calamari to the bowl.
Bring the poaching liquid to a boil again, add the mussels, cover, and simmer for 4 to 5 minutes, until all the shells have opened, discarding any that don’t open. Turn off the heat and set aside until the mussels in the broth are cool enough to handle. Remove the mussels from the shells and add to the bowl. Add 12 of the shells to the seafood and discard the rest. Set aside 1/2 cup of the poaching liquid, discarding the rest. Drain the seafood in a colander and put it all back into the bowl.
For the dressing, heat the olive oil in a medium (10-inch) saute pan over medium heat. Add the garlic, oregano, and red pepper flakes and cook for 1 minute. (Be careful: Overcooked garlic will be bitter.) Add the tomatoes and cook over medium heat for 2 more minutes.
Add the reserved poaching liquid, the limoncello, lemon zest, lemon juice, 1 tablespoon salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper and cook for 1 more minute. Pour the sauce over the seafood and toss gently. Add the fennel and parsley. Cut a lemon in half lengthwise, cut it thinly crosswise, and add it to the salad. Toss gently to combine and cover with plastic wrap. Chill for at least 3 hours or overnight.
To serve, sprinkle with 2 teaspoons salt, 1 teaspoon pepper, and the juice of the remaining lemon. Taste for seasonings and serve cold or at room temperature.
Yummmm, I've got the shrimp down here…will look for the rest! I LOVE her. I hope you are doing well!
Delighted you like the recipe. You could do it with any number of fish as well but I think the mussels and the shrimp are essential. Let us know what you did use when you do make it. All best, Monte