No food brings to mind summertime quite like the watermelon. Chances are, you've been chowing down on this juicy, refreshing fruit since before you can even remember. When you're drenched in sweat from a summer run — or just from summer existence — a few bites of chilled watermelon will cool you down, hydrate you, How to Successfully Complete Dry January.
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Nutrition & Weight Loss Michael Psilakis, calls for grilled watermelon. And though no cooking method brings to mind summertime quite like grilling, you might be thinking, "No way. Give me a hammock and a platter of cold watermelon wedges, and leave me to feast and nap."
Fair enough. But consider this: Grilling a slice of watermelon doesn't make it worse, or better — it transforms it into an entirely different food.
Grill a slice of crumbly raw watermelon, and you'll get a more solid wedge that's just as juicy and even sweeter than the raw stuff. This caramelized watermelon pairs nicely with savory flavors, like that of the gooey grilled manouri — a semisoft Greek cheese — used in this recipe. Top the fruit and cheese with fresh herbs, and you've got a great summertime appetizer — one that looks a bit more polished than a big bowl of watermelon chunks.
Grilled Watermelon & Grilled Manouri
Recipe by Chef Michael Psilakis
If you don't have access to a grill, you can use a grill pan, but make sure the cheese is very cold. If you're not able to find manouri, substitute a block of good Greek feta (as we did).
What you'll need:
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1 1/2 pounds seedless watermelon, in two
1-Watermelon: It rocks. So why mess with it
inch-thick, center-cut slices
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Sea salt
Grill a Watermelon and Cheese Appetizer:
1. Preheat a charcoal or gas grill until hot.
2. Cut the manouri into two 1-inch-thick circles. Trim the rind from the watermelon rounds and cut into large pie-shaped wedges, about 5 inches on the longer sides. Brush the watermelon and the manouri with a little olive oil and season with kosher salt and pepper.
3. Grill the watermelon wedges and the manouri rounds just until slightly char-marked on both sides. Transfer to a platter and cut the manouri into wedges about the same size as the watermelon. Drizzle with a little more olive oil. Scatter with the mint leaves, dill sprigs, and a little sea salt. Grind a little pepper over the top. Serves 4.
*inch-thick, center-cut slices.
If you have a recipe you'd like to share with fellow runners, or any other food-related content you'd like to see, email [email protected].
