 |
| Jill Landes of Living Hope Farm, Photo by S. Csihas |
What You Need:
4 cups seedless watermelon, large dice
8 cups ripe heirloom tomatoes, large dice
fleur de sel, to taste
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon good red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
1 cup toasted walnuts, chopped
½ cup shaved Birchrun Hills Farm Clipper or Keswick Wallaby cheese (you may substitute a nutty grating cheese or any good quality feta)
How You Make It:
1. Combine the melon and tomatoes in large bowl.2. Sprinkle with the fleur de sel and toss to blend; let stand 15 minutes.
3. In a separate bowl, combine the olive oil, vinegar, and dill; add to melon mixture.
4. Season to taste with pepper and more salt, if desired.
5. Sprinkle with grated cheese and toasted walnuts and serve.
**Hint** Save the watermelon rind and pickle it with pickling spice, rice vinegar, and sugar; slice thin and toss in with the salad.
Note from Corey: "Tomatoes are beginning to come in. Living Hope Farm in Harleysville, PA produces some of the best I've ever had. Tomatoes, watermelon, and feta are a good combination- easily found on many restaurant menus. With this recipe, I encourage you to try other locally-produced cheeses with nutty, salty, or acidic characteristics that you can shave over the salad. Click on the Local Harvest link in the gold bar at the top of the blog to find a good farm or cheese producer near you."
Note from Renee / Nutritionist: "Tomatoes get their red coloring from an extremely powerful antioxidant known as Lycopene. Antioxidants are necessary in our diet, because they decrease the chance for cancerous cell formation, in diseases such as cancer, Parkinson’s, heart disease and Alzheimer’s. Tomatoes are rare, due to the fact that most vegetables lose their nutritional value when cooked, but by cooking tomatoes, you can increase the amount of Lycopene absorbed in your body. Another advantage of the powerful antioxidant Lycopene, is that research has found that the ingestion of tomato products can prevent the redness of erythma, or sunburn, which is an early indication of skin damage."
Recommendation from Brian / Winemaker:Semi-Dry Pinot Gris from Alsace region of France. “This wine is known for being low alcohol and very fruity which will allow the sweetness of the watermelon to accent the tomato’s flavors and acidity. The bitterness of the walnut is balanced by the wines crisp, high-acid structure”
