Watermelon and Tomato Salad

Watermelon and Tomato Salad

How did it get to be October already? And me with a backlog of summer recipes! Luckily, heirloom tomatoes are still beautiful and all over the greenmarket and watermelon is in abundance at Fairway.


When I was a kid, watermelon (and cucumbers) were the only two foods I refused to eat. Their high water content diluted the flavor so much as to make it unpalatable to me. Lately, though, I've found that, when it's terribly hot out, I crave these watery fruits. Probably my body seeking to rehydrate itself as much as possible.


But, because I have a low tolerance to sweet, I needed to add something salty to the watermelon and tomatoes. Mark Bittman recommends goat cheese, but I was more interested in feta, as suggested by Josh in his Heirloom Tomato and Watermelon Salad. Some basil (from the plant that's still growing nicely on our terrace!), a sprinkling of sea salt and a couple of tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and we had ourselves a delicious salad. Enjoy!


Watermelon and Tomato Salad
adapted from How to Cook Everything and The Food Section

• 3 heirloom tomatoes, assorted varieties, cored and thickly sliced
• 1/4 watermelon, seeded, peeled and sliced as thickly (or thinly) as tomatoes
• 1/8 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper, freshly ground
• 4 ounces feta, crumbled
• 8 leaves basil
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

On a large platter, lay down first a tomato slice, then a watermelon slice, overlapping slightly, until all used. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and feta. Crumble basil leaves on top and drizzle with olive oil. Serve immediately.

Salad, Corn and Shrimp

Make It a Meal: Keep the summer theme going by serving the salad with corn -- rather than just steaming it, try Roasted Corn with Parsley Butter. If serving a vegetarian, and since the oven's already on for the corn) finish out the meal with some Roasted Vegetables. If not, go for Salt Roasted Shrimp instead. And to drink? Riesling, especially if you can find a local one like Treleaven Riesling from the Finger Lakes. Bon appetit!

Leftovers: Unfortunately, this isn't a salad that saves very well, so eat it the night of, if at all possible. If not, mix leftovers with falafel (if you don't make your own, I highly recommend Trader Joe's frozen variety) to make a more substantial salad. Yum!

Links to other watermelon salad noshes:

• Watermelon Salad with Feta or Cotija from Simply Recipes
• Beautiful and Simple Watermelon Salad that Is Perfect for Summer Days from Junglefrog Cooking
• Watermelon Salad Thing from Lottie + Doof
• Minty Watermelon Salad from Never Enough Thyme
• Tomato and Watermelon Salad with Feta Cheese from Steamy Kitchen

Pineapple Jalapeno Poppers

Far and away, my favorite part of going to the Greenmarket is, when I have absolutely no idea what to make  for dinner, to allow myself to be surprised and inspired by whatever delicacies I find waiting for me. Of course, being a planner and mildly OCD, this rarely happens. In fact, I almost never allow myself to go shopping without a list; otherwise I end up going crazy and coming home with various delicacies that have no relationship to one another so then I have to go back out to get whatever missing pieces I've neglected. And some of that produce invariably winds up in the trash, neglected and forgotten.


No thank you. So, in an effort to cut down on waste and generally practice more sustainable practices in my kitchen and my life, I use lists. But, also wanting to cook seasonally, I let myself be inspired by what's available. And, sometimes, I cheat.


How do I cheat, you ask? When I have work in the morning (but know I'll get home with plenty of time to go back out to the Greenmarket before they close), I first survey everything at the Greenmarket (it's right next to the subway station), file away what looks most exciting, then go home, put together a list and venture back out, this time with Ozzy and a plan.


Not long ago, I did exactly this. What piqued my interest, you ask? Jalapeno peppers. While I've occasionally seen these gems downtown at the large Union Square Greenmarket, I'd never seen them at my little Tucker Square Greenmarket, across the street from Lincoln Center. Being so excited, I wanted to highlight them as the main course of my dinner, not merely a seasoning. I'd seen a recipe for BBQ Jalapeno Poppers in The Pioneer Woman Cooks, so I figured that was a good enough place to start. Armed with 18 jalapenos (yes, I counted them), I went home and set to work.


Unfortunately, though, I'm actually quite a weakling when it comes to spice. So I needed something (other than the cheese I was stuffing inside) to cut the bite of these peppers. Mandy had made some Jalapeno Poppers with Pineapple, so the cut-up pineapple in the fridge that had been destined for my morning yogurt went into the poppers instead. I also opted to bake these rather than fry them. And, wanting to showcase the freshness of the jalapenos, I decided against breading as well. Make sure everything's at room temperature before you get started; it makes the mixing of the stuffing components much easier. I topped half the poppers (mine) with fresh bacon but it could very easily be left out. Enjoy!


Pineapple Jalapeno Poppers
adapted from The Pioneer Woman Cooks and Home with Mandy

• 18 jalapeno peppers
• 8 ounces cream cheese
• 1/2 cup cheddar, grated (I used a Mexican 3-cheese blend that was very good)
• 1 green onion, sliced
• 1 container pineapple, chopped
• 18 slices fresh bacon, cut in half (optional)
• Barbecue sauce, to taste

Preheat oven to 275 F. Wearing rubber gloves (and after having already taken out your contact lenses for the night -- yes, I did learn that the hard way), slice jalapenos in half lengthwise. Scrape out seeds and membranes with a spoon. If you are less heat-sensitive than I (or if your jalapenos are mild), leave some seeds in; that's where the heat is.

In a large bowl, combine cream cheese, cheddar, green onion and pineapple. Now stuff a heaping tablespoonful of mixture into each jalapeno half. Press down well, so there's very little chance of the stuffing falling out (especially important if you're not using the bacon to hold it in!). Arrange jalapeno halves on an aluminum foil-lined baking sheet. If you are using bacon, lay it on top of the open jalapeno half, pressing down to secure it to the filling. Drizzle barbecue sauce on top of either the bacon or cheese filling, depending on which option you're making. Use a pastry brush to spread it around more easily.

Bake in the oven for 1 hour. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Make it a meal: Serve with plain steamed corn -- an excellent antidote to the spicy jalapenos and a bottle of Riesling. I recommend Nein Lives.

Leftovers: These are very rich, so there will probably be leftovers. To repurpose them for another meal, serve over kasha.

Links to other jalapeno poppers noshes:

• Jalapeno Poppers from Food People Want
• Bacon-Wrapped Jalapeno Thingies from The Pioneer Woman Cooks!
• How to Make Homemade Jalapeno Poppers from Eclectic Recipes
• Jalapeno Popper Dip from Big Red Kitchen
• Jalapeno Popper Dip from My Baking Addiction