Bread
Salad with Watermelon, Feta and Red Onion
Excerpt from Meze by Diane Kochilas
Serves 4
The
combination of feta and watermelon is one that Greek connoisseurs savor with
special gusto. There is no recipe for enjoying the two together. Cut-up
watermelon is served on one plate with a little feta cheese, or served
separately and left to each diner to join the two together in a forkful. Here, I
take this elemental duet and make something a little more special. Seek out the
sweetest watermelon and Dodoni feta. You can find the latter in most Greek and
Middle Eastern food shops, as well as in specialty cheese emporiums. The feta
from Dodoni in has a firm, creamy texture and can be cut into
cubes without crumbling.
Ingredients
1 medium red onion, sliced into thin rings
3 cups cold watermelon, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 cup (about 4 ounces) Greek feta, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 teaspoon sherry or raspberry vinegar
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
A few mint sprigs
Dampen the bread under running water and then hold it over the sink for the water to drip off. Break it into chunks, about 1 inch each. Place the chunks on the bottom of a serving bowl and sprinkle half the onion slices over them. Place the watermelon and any of its juices together with the feta cubes on top. Drizzle in the vinegar and toss gently, careful not to mash the watermelon. Season with pepper and garnish with the remaining onion slices and mint. Serve.
Source: From Meze by Diane Kochilas. Harper Collins Publishers. Used by permission.
