When looking for fresh, simple summer fare, we continually find ourselves mining the cuisines of the Mediterranean and Near East. The warm climates and agricultural histories there are ideal for lighter, beautifully flavored dishes. This is a lightly adapted recipe from Philadelphia chef Michael Solomonov’s Zahav Cookbook. The Israeli-inspired recipe collection has quickly become one of our favorites. That, of course, makes perfect sense because Zahav is one of our favorite Philadelphia restaurants. It’s a no-brainer. What we loved so much about this recipe is the unconventional combination of flavors and textures. For our money, that’s the best of all worlds. You get the sweet juiciness from the fresh summer melons, the pungent creaminess from the feta, a rich brininess from the olive purée, bright herbal notes from the mint, and a nice, nutty crunch from the pistachios. While this might seem like a collection of disparate elements, it is, in fact a lovely, complex and complementary marriage of ingredients.
The only actual change that we made to the original recipe was to use kalamata olives in place of the simple black olives because they were what we had on hand, and we loved the specificity of pairing them with their regional counterpart, feta cheese. The easy assembly of this dish makes it the perfect go-to for summer snacking and entertaining. Once you’ve puréed the olives and oil together and cut the watermelon, it’s simply a matter of combining everything on a platter and serving. It’s a beautiful, colorful, crowd-pleasing first course.
Another wonderful trait of this recipe is that it works equally well as you change out the ingredients to suit availability and tastes. You can use any other summer melons (honeydew, cantaloupe, or any of the more exotic varieties that you can find), substitute goat cheese for the feta, or basil for the mint. We’ve even made a version in the past when there were no olives in the house, but we did have a jar of the Spicy Pickled Green Beans on hand. They got chopped up and served as excellent stand-ins for the olive purée, as they imparted the same briny notes and had the tremendous advantage of adding that touch of heat that served as the perfect counterpoint to the sweetness of the melon.
If you’re not a fan of melons in general, fret not. Any in season, juicy summer fruit will do. Fresh peaches, in particular are a wonderful option, as are ripe persimmons, or pineapple. For an added smokiness, feel free to grill the fruit.
Another fun serving suggestion that works really well in a cocktail party setting is to leave the rinds on the watermelon, cut them into large rounds, then cut the rounds into wedges, pizza-style. You can assemble the dish normally from that point. You end up with a gorgeous hors d’oeuvre that requires nothing more than a cocktail napkin to enjoy as you and your guests mingle. We’re sure that you’ll fall in love with this dish as much as we have. Enjoy!
Adapted from The Zahav Cookbook.
- ½ small watermelon, rind removed and cut into triangular wedges
- Kosher salt
- ⅓ cup pitted kalamata olives
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ½ cup crumbled feta
- ¼ cup toasted pistachios, chopped
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
- Arranged watermelon on a serving platter and season well with kosher salt.
- Combine the olives and oil in a food processor and puree until smooth. Spoon the puree on the watermelon, then the feta, pistachio and mint.
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