Here’s a salad filled with favorite flavors, but I doubt you’ve ever seen them combined this way. From The Book of Tapas by Simone and Ines Ortega, I recently served this dish at a party. I put it down, turned around, and found that it almost instantly disappeared. There’s something here for everyone: watermelon, tomato, vinegar, pistachios, and goat cheese.
Your mouth is not overwhelmed with all the flavors, but it’s working the whole time you enjoy this Spanish treasure. It is a great party dish, one you can easily scale up for 10 or 20 or more people.
Fresh micro greens from a farmers’ market and truly good sherry vinegar will help to make this a treat.
Watermelon Salad with Tomato, Goat Cheese and Pistachio
Yield: serves 4-6
Ingredients:
- ½ cup Pedro Ximenez sherry vinegar
- 2 plum tomatoes, seeded and diced
- 1 quantity cherry dressing, recipe follows
- ½ small seedless watermelon, peeled and cut into four 2 x 4″ blocks, approximately 1 inch thick
- 4 teaspoons chopped the pistachios
- 6 ounces soft goat cheese
- 4 tablespoons micro greens
- 2 tablespoons fresh thyme
- 2 tablespoons Spanish extra virgin olive oil
- Sea salt
Preparation:
Bring the Ximinez sherry vinegar to a boil in a small pan. Lower the heat and cook until it reduces by more than half and turns to a syrupy consistency. Remove from heat and let cool. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, toss the diced tomatoes with the sherry dressing. Slice the watermelon blocks into ¼-inch slices and fan the slices on a serving plate. Spoon the tomato mixture over the top of the watermelon. Sprinkle with the pistachios. Crumble the goat cheese over the top. Garnish with the micro greens and fresh thyme. Sprinkle with sea salt. Spoon a streak of the Ximinez reduction down one side of the plate, and follow with olive oil. Repeat for the remaining servings and serve immediately.
Sherry Dressing
Ingredients:
- ½ tablespoon sherry vinegar
- 2 tablespoons Spanish extra-virgin olive oil
- Sea salt to taste
Preparation:
Whisk the vinegar, olive and oil and salt in a blow. Set aside.
Source: The Book of Tapas by Simone and Ines Ortega