It’s been a tough week for me in the kitchen this last week. Usually when I feel this way I wonder what I am going to share with you for a recipe because I didn’t make anything new. Well this past week I made several new things I could or better thought I could have shared. The only problem is I messed up two of them and one stressed me out so bad I made a pomegranate martini just to get through it AND it wasn’t share worthy. Thankfully there was one that was pretty easy and everyone really enjoyed so I am going to share that recipe with you.

I made a watermelon salad for our #worldwidewednesday family dinner. We “traveled” to Peru and made a few recipes from @martinmoralescerviche cookbook Andina The Heart of Peruvian Food. I am going to share with you how I made his recipe, it differs only with what I could find at the local market. I want to mention that I have been posting on Instagram pictures of what my family makes, it is usually my daughter, myself and most times my son. My husband has made a few things, I wouldn’t want to leave him out. My 92 year old father-in-law baked a loaf of bread for one of our dinners and my daughter BF has piqued an interest in getting more involved.

Back to why I mentioned Instagram. My daughter is teaching me how to navigate Instagram and if we use a specific cookbook; we try to call out the author. This last week I was pleasantly surprised, while enjoying my morning cup of tea and playing a game on my phone the following morning after posting.  I got a pop up on my phone and I glanced at the name and it was none other than Martin Morales himself the author of the cookbook we used; he liked my post 🙂 Very exciting for me, just saying.

Salad name in his cookbook: Sandia, Quinna Negra y Queso Fresco
translates to Infused Watermelon & Fresco Cheese Salad

Infused Watermelon & Fresco Cheese Salad

dclarkabal

a lovely watermelon salad you should check out

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Course Appetizer

Cuisine Peru

Ingredients

  

• 4 tablespoon sugar or 30 grams yacon sugar
• ¼ cup water
• 2 small medium heat red chilis finely chopped
• 4 large pieces of watermelon
• ¼ cup uncooked quinoa
• 3 ounces queso fresco or use feta
• basil leaves or watercress leaves

lemon & almond vinaigrette

• 1 lemon zested in large strips
• ½ cup almond toasted and roughly chopped
• 1 ounce olive oil
• drizzle white wine vinegar
• pinch sugar
• pinch salt

Instructions

 

salad

• Make a simple syrup with the sugar and bring to a boil in a small sauce pan. Simmer stirring constantly until the sugar dissolves. Remove from the heat and add the diced chilis.
• Place the sliced watermelon in a zip loc bag. Pour the simple syrup and chili into the bag and seal infusing the watermelon. Place in the fridge until ready to assemble.

vinaigrette

• toast the almond and set aside to cool
• cook the quinoa according to the package directions. set aside to cool
• Slice the zest off of the lemon and place the zest in a small sauce pan, cover with water and bring to a boil over high heat, Add a pinch of salt, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes. Drain the zest and run under cold water to cool off. Repeat the same process of bringing it to a boil and then simmer for 5 minutes. You are removing some of the bitterness by doing this,
• Once the zest is cooled, slice it very finely, more than I did in the picture. Place the zest in a small bowl. Add the olive oil, sugar, vinegar and cooled crushed almonds. along with a pinch of salt

assemble the salad

• place a piece of infused watermelon on a small plate. Sprinkle the watermelon with quinoa and queso. Drizzle with the vinaigrette and top with a few of the basil or watercress leaves. Serve immediately

Keyword #worldwidewednesday, infused watermelon salad, queso fresco cheese, watermelon salad