Watermelon, Olive and Feta Appetizer is a riff off of our own recipe! (I love it when we do that!). Last summer, we posted a beautiful Watermelon, Olive and Feta Salad — delicious and super pretty on the plate. This summer, we’re turning it into a snack. Spear it with toothpicks and enjoy on the back porch on a hot summer day.
How to cut the watermelon
An entire slice of watermelon makes the “base” of this appetizer. It’s easy (and fun) to do: lay a watermelon on your cutting board. Use a kitchen knife to trim off a small, flat section of the rind only. When you rotate the melon onto this cut side, it is nice and stable on your work surface and not rolling around everywhere when you try and cut it. Now, making a cross-section cut of the watermelon is easy! Once you have a nice middle section cross-cut from the melon, make another cut so that you can remove a section about 1-inch thick. Transfer this to a serving plate.
Be cool on a hot day
Now, cut the watermelon slice into bite-sized chunks, and trim all around the rind. Lift off the skin as one big circle, and you’re ready to decorate your Watermelon, Olive and Feta Appetizer. Separate the pieces from one another (more surface area) and scatter with crumbled feta, torn mint leaves, chopped black olives, and a swirl of balsamic glaze. Every bite gets all the flavors: sweet (watermelon), salty (feta and olives), sour (balsamic glaze), Lots of fresh mint takes you right to Greece.
Ingredients
A 1-inch cross-section cut of a watermelon (see instructions above in blog post)
about 10 pitted kalamata olives, roughly chopped
a few tablespoons good-quality feta, crumbled (Trader Joe's "Pastures of Eden" is a nice choice)
10 torn mint leaves
garnish: a few swirls of balsamic glazeInstructions
Put the watermelon on a serving plate, and slice it into bite-sized chunks, and trim all around the skin. Lift off the rind as one big circle, and you're ready to decorate. Separate the pieces from one another and scatter with crumbled feta, torn mint leaves, chopped black olives, and a swirl of balsamic glaze.
