Friday Food 07-30-21

This watermelon salad is one of my summer favorites.  But I can't make just a little bit, so I eat it several days in a row.  I suppose I could share some with one of my neighbors, but some how I don't manage to do that.  

The recipe, such as it is, came from a blog friend in Australia.  Maybe some of you know Meg Messervy.  She shared it with me in July 2009 and I have been making it every summer since. She told me then that she had the recipe from a friend who received it from a restaurant in America.  What she sent me all those years ago was:

"I made a lovely saled for my tea, using watermelon, orange, radishes & mixed green leaves, with olives and a light dressing of fresh lemon juice and extra virgin olive oil."  

We talked back and forth about prep.  We agree that slicing the radishes a bit thick was best and using small greens was better than cut up romaine.  I don't mix in the greens because they tend to wilt in the leftovers, so I just mix them in when I serve up a bowl..  We both buy sliced black olives in cans.  As for how much of each, it is dependent on what is available, I guess.  I use a "personal" watermelon and only half of that, cut into about one inch chunks. (Dolcinea is the best brand, I think).  One large orange and a bunch of radishes, which is usually about six good sized ones.  Radishes are not always available, but they are a necessary ingredient.  I add a couple stalks of celery because I like celery and it adds a little more crunch.  This picture shows my largest mixing bowl and I have removed one cereal bowl full for my dinner.  So you can see it makes a lot.  Mixing the olive oil and fresh lemon juice seems to make a better dressing than just pouring them in individually.  

It is hard to believe that twelve years have gone by since Meg sent me the recipe.  We don't hear from each other often anymore.   I don't know if she still checks my blog.  But I will send this post to her so she can know how much I am still enjoying her special salad.  I have posted about this salad three previous times. 08-10-09, 06-25-14, 07-20-18.

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Friday Food 07-20-18

This is a re-post from 06-25-14.  I have a small watermelon, the radishes and an orange in the frig and some canned sliced olives in the pantry.   So, tomorrow night my most favorite summer salad.  Try it, it is delicious. 

This is the best summer salad.  It is a recipe shared by Meg in Australia back in July 2009. 

There aren't any exact measurements, but this is what I use for just one dinner size serving:

3 - 4 radishes sliced

half a small can of sliced black olives

1/2 naval orange cut into small pieces

2 cups of watermelon squares - about an inch.

a couple hands full of mixed greens OR baby spinach OR what have you.

Toss with a dressing made with olive oil and fresh lemon juice. 

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Wednesday Watermelon Salad 06-25-14

This is the best summer salad.  It is a recipe shared by Meg in Australia back in July 2009. 

There aren't any exact measurements, but this is what I use for just one dinner size serving:

3 - 4 radishes sliced

half a small can of sliced black olives

1/2 naval orange cut into small pieces

2 cups of watermelon squares - about an inch.

a couple hands full of mixed greens OR baby spinach OR what have you.

Toss with a dressing made with olive oil and fresh lemon juice. 

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Food Notes 08-10-09

Yes, this is a BLT! Sans the top slice of bread since I am only supposed to be eating one slice of bread a day and lettuce works just great. I am showing this because it is my one BLT of the year! I do love them, but I don't usually eat tomatoes which have become very acidic and I don't usually eat bacon because it is bad for me. BUT if I can find someone in late July or early August who will let me have one of their vine ripened - I mean REALLY ripened so that the sugar has fully developed - tomatoes, I prepare my feast. This year it was excellent! I thank Cindy Croucher, a member of the Surfside Quilters Guild board, for the tomatoes - I'm writing her down for next year!

Meg Messervy in Australia talked about an unusual salad a few weeks ago. Admittedly the combination sounds odd, but sometimes those unusual ingredients really work. I printed it out and gave it a try and it was delicious. Since then Meg and I have had some e-discussion about it and I want to share it with you. I used 1/2 of an large navel orange cut into 1/2" bits, about 2 cups seedless watermelon in 1" cubes, 5 good size radishes cut into slices (cut thick rather than thin), half of a small can of sliced black olives, three medium Romaine leaves cut into chunks. I mixed everything together in a bowl large enough to toss the salad. The dressing is about 2 Tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and the juice of half a medium lemon, but will have to do it to suit your taste. Put the dressing on and toss just before serving.

Meg uses a mix of greens that sound like what are called "field greens" in the markets here - baby spinach, radicchio, arugula, oak leaf, etc. - they are all small leaves and I think they would be better than the Romaine. I'll use them next time.

Meg's blog is great - shown by the fact that she has 362 followers all over the world. I love it when she uses Aussie expressions that one must interpret the best they can. "Crapsticks" isn't a good example, but it did make me LOL. http://lifesfreetreats.blogspot.com/