Watermelon Feta Salad

During my childhood, hot summer days were soothed by the sweet fresh flavors of a delicious combination my father introduced me to: cold watermelon and Feta cheese. Since I discovered my passion for food and spend countless hours in the kitchen and around cookbooks, I was looking for a recipe to make this beautiful “gustative memory” more appealing. The Feta cheese is perfect with the juicy watermelon, the addition of tomatoes and cucumbers gives interesting textures to the salad and the fresh mint links all the aromas together and brightens up this meal.
The recipe calls for white balsamic vinegar; it has a lighter flavor than the regular balsamic vinegar of Modena. It works great in this dish because of its light fruity flavor and it doesn’t affect the vibrant colors of the fresh ingredients.
It’s a playful magical salad. I hope you like it too.

Bon Appétit!

Watermelon Feta Salad

Adapted from Kitchen Garden Cookbook. Jeanne Kelley
Serves 6

Ingredients
4 lb (2 kg) mini seedless watermelon, rind removed
1 ¾ lb (875 g) heirloom tomatoes, sliced
2 small cucumbers, sliced
2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoon white balsamic vinegar
3 oz (90 g) Feta cheese, crumbled
½ cup (15 g) fresh mint leaves
Salt
Black Pepper

Directions
Scale and prep all the ingredients.
You will need one large serving bowl.

Cut the watermelon into thin slices. You want the watermelon and tomato pieces to be harmonious, try to make them about the same size.
In a large serving bowl, assemble the salad. Layer the watermelon, tomato and cucumber. Season with the extra virgin olive oil, white balsamic vinegar, a little bit of salt and freshly ground black pepper. Sprinkle the Feta cheese and fresh mint leaves on top and serve.