Celebrations Southern Salad

One of the best things about living in the South is Southern cooking. While rarely as stylish as California cuisine, with it's "baby this" and strange sounding "on a bed of that", Southern cooking instead relies on delicious "may I have another helping please?" taste.

Since moving to Texas from California nine years ago, I have enjoyed finding new Southern style recipes each month in a regional publication called Southern Living

Their recipes are consistently easy and delicious. I quickly learned I could trust the Southern Living test kitchen to provide winner recipes for my table.

The magazine's July issue arrived here early in June. On the cover was the picture that is on the top of this post. It took me a second to register what was in that side dish/salad:

Watermelon and tomato.

Huh?

I kept looking at it, and the recipe, trying to image those two flavors together.

I couldn't.

But I knew this magazine always publishes fantastic recipes, so I decided to give it a try.

Here's the ingredients:

Tomato-and-Watermelon Salad

Makes 4 to 6 servings

Prep: 20 min., Stand : 15 min.

Chill: 2 hr.

Recipe adapted from Seasoned in the South: Recipes From Crook's Corner and From Home by Bill Smith

SL June 2007

5 cups (3/4 inch) seeded watermelon cubes

1 1/2 lb ripe tomatoes, cute into 3/4 inch cubes

3 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1 small red onion, quartered and thinly sliced

1/2 cup red wine vinegar

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Romaine lettuce leaves (optional)

Cracked pepper to taste

1. Combine watermelon and tomato in a large bowl; sprinkle with sugar and salt, tossing to coat. Let stand 15 minutes.

2. Stir in onion, vinegar, and oil. Cover and chill 2 hours. Serve chilled with lettuce leaves, if desired. Sprinkle with cracked pepper to taste.

I chopped up a bowl full last Sunday, and it didn't last long. The flavors melded in a new taste sensation, a lively crispy chilled refresher salad, perfect for supper on a warm summer day.

Since currently I am on a goat cheese kick, I even tried some of that on one serving. It was good too, but the original recipe really needs no additions. It has plenty of "wow!" as it stands.

Well, I know the Canada crew will be partying on Sunday, and the USA gang next Wednesday. Around here, we always try to incorporate red, white and blue into our Independence Day meal plans. This salad would certainly do the trick!

And if I were a Canadian, I would be digging out some tiny maple leaf cookie cutters and watermelon maple leaves would be substituting for the unimaginative cube shapes.

How cute would that be?

And come to think of it, maybe I can use my Christmas bell shaped cookie cutters to make Liberty Bell cut-outs for us.

I wanted to give everyone the recipe early enough to sneak in a half recipe test run. It does sound weird combining watermelon and tomatoes, not to mention red onion and vinegar.

But trust me, like I trusted Southern Living magazine, and give it a try.

I think you will be please.

Happy Celebrations!