Blood orange, wild rosemary fused oil, Serrano honey balsamic, violet or expresso dark balsamic...Sampling olive oil and balsamic vinegars can be as exciting as beer, liqueur, and wine tastings, especially when you're a chef. When I browse through the Artisan oil and vinegar store, I'm like the proverbial kid in a candy store. I want I want I want!
Recently my Recipe Swapper group went on a field trip to Savor The Olive, a gourmet fused, infused olive oil and flavored balsamic vinegar store that has a boutique tasting room.
Each member of my group brought some food and we went on a tasting spree. I decided to bring a salad, which is always fun to dress up with different flavors.
A cool combination of watermelon, radish, feta, red onion, and a special ingredient...fresh apple mint! With watermelon as the star I thought, what other characters would mingle happily with it? Radishes are somewhat underused in today's culinary world. But I grew up eating the zesty little veggie right out of the garden. My dad harvested white, purple, long, and round radishes. Some were spicier than others with the kind of heat that rises up through your nasal passages on the same path that horseradish travels, instead of across the palate like a chili pepper.
Red onion lends a sharp little bite and that smooth salty feta brings out the sweet flavor in the watermelon. The fruit is so refreshing and juicy against the crisp radish and then the apple mint kicks in. It's mint diffused with a granny smith apple taste in the background.
This salad was a bowl of sweet, refreshing, sizzling, and salty components. And that apple mint threads its sugary fresh way throughout the whole salad. Contrasting textures and flavors of watermelon, radish slices, red onions, and crumbles of feta cheese needs an oil and vinegar combination that could just be blended into the salad, super simple. After mixing and matching, tossing and tasting, our winning selections were...
Sounds strange for me to admit in a post promoting olive oils but I cannot stand olives or the taste of olive oil in its raw form like Italian restaurants serve for dipping bread. But I do like certain flavors in vinaigrettes and for cooking. I chose this olive oil because it is milder in flavor and a little peppery. The Honey-Ginger white balsamic is light, smooth, and warm from the ginger. Just the right balance for a melon focused dish.
If you have a specialty oil and vinegar store in your area bring some salad, pasta, fruit or dessert in and take your taste buds on a flavorful tour. Your mind will be bursting at the seams with new culinary ideas!
Ingredients
3 cups watermelon, cubed
3/4 cup radishes, sliced thin
1/3 cup red onion rings
1/2 cup feta cheese
1 teaspoon fresh apple mint, minced. Then throw a few larger pieces in because it's pretty
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar (I used the above oil and vinegar but you can substitute with your favorite flavors)
Directions
Toss everything into a bowl. Chill if you're not serving right away. Wait until the last minute to add mint and vinaigrette.
Comments