Thirsty? Eat a watermelon.

After a brunch that included way too many french fries (is that even possible?) I was parched. When I got home I downed half a bottle of Vitamin Water 10 and several glasses of water, but I was still thirsty. Surprisingly, after eating a few pieces of watermelon, I was instantly refreshed. Maybe it was the magical yellow hue that did the trick. Check it:



These little yellow babies are round (rather than oblong) and just a bit smaller that a volleyball. I found mine at my local farmers market on the way home from the gym. Some say the yellow variety is sweeter than the ubiquitous pink variety, and a little more canteloupe-like, but I thought it just tasted like a watermelon.

What to do with it? Well, shockingly I had ripped out a watermelon recipe from In Style a few weeks ago. Yes. In Style. Seriously. After a little more research (because I was skeptical) I found that Gourmet had printed the same recipe a few years ago. It's from a restaurant in Athens, GA called Five & Ten. (I guess this is where I would ordinarily reference R.E.M. but I'm not going to. This time.) I love the idea of using watermelon in this savory salad. Once again I was missing a few ingredients so I subbed in garlic for a shallot and a jalapeño for a serrano chile. I also think that some sort of nut might add a nice crunch. Macadamias? Toasted pine nuts? Just a thought.

I still have about 3/4 of that watermelon volleyball. I'll either have to try to make some sort of watermelon bevie, or work on my knife skills and carve an intricate basket that rivals Edible Arrangements.



Yellow Watermelon and Feta Salad

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon champagne vinegar (or white wine vinegar)
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme (or 1/2 tsp dried thyme)
1 small shallot, minced (or one small garlic clove, minced)
1 serrano (or jalapeño) chile, stemmed and sliced into small half rounds
Salt, to taste
1/2 of a small yellow (or pink) watermelon (remove seeds)
1/4 pound piece of feta cheese, sliced into 1/8" pieces
Arugula

1. In a small bowl, whisk together the oil, lime juice, vinegar, thyme, shallot, and chile. Season with salt to taste. Set aside.

2. Slice the watermelon into pieces about 1/2-inch thick. Remove the rind. Cut the remaining watermelon flesh into 3-inch squares.

3. Assemble the salad on a platter by alternating layers of watermelon and feta on a bed of arugula. Drizzle with the vinaigrette. Serves 4 as an appetizer.