Have you ever seen a cantaloupe the size of an apple? Neither had I until just a week or two
ago. They are in season here in Egypt,
or at least, I assume they are in season because, suddenly, they are everywhere
and cheap. I pick them up in the stores
and surreptitiously give their stem ends a sniff, because ripe cantaloupes
smell of cantaloupe. Unripe ones smell
of nothing. I finally found a good one
and brought it home. Much to my
surprise, it was green inside. But the
flavor, like the smell, is unmistakably cantaloupe, just like the sign said.
The plan: An
appetizer for our anniversary meal because the tiny cantaloupe is perfect for
two people.
Ingredients
1 small cantaloupe or 1/4 of a regular one - any color works!
1/4 small purple onion
6 slices Italian salami
3 oz or 85g Feta cheese
1-1 1/2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
Sea salt
Black pepper
Method
Slice your onion very thinly and cover with the
vinegar. This takes the sharpness out of
the onion, still leaving the lovely oniony flavor.
Cut your cantaloupe in half and then into wedges. Scoop out the seeds and discard. Using a sharp knife, cut the melon from the
peel.
Slice your salami diagonally and arrange about the salad
plate.
Cut your feta into small squares or crumble with a
fork.
Put the cantaloupe on the plates with the salami and scatter the feta over the salami and cantaloupe.
Add the olive oil and sprinkle of sea salt a couple of good
grinds of fresh black pepper to the onion and mix well. Drizzle this all over the cantaloupe, salami
and cheese.
Make sure you get a bit of everything in each bite you take:
salami, cantaloupe, feta and onion. The
sweet melon is divinely offset by the rich salami and salty feta with the
balsamic onion dressing.
Enjoy!
Update: Maybe the season is short, because the pile in Carrefour today was much diminished. They are still 5.95 Egyptian pounds per kilo (about US$1, so less than 50 cents a pound.)
Update: Maybe the season is short, because the pile in Carrefour today was much diminished. They are still 5.95 Egyptian pounds per kilo (about US$1, so less than 50 cents a pound.)
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| What's left, nestled amongst the coconuts. |
