Watermelon, Goats Cheese, Walnut & Pumpkin seed Salad

Sonia Cabano, well known TV Cook and food writer, recently called Watermelon The King of Summer.  Growing up on a farm as children, it was the best pudding on a hot  summer’s afternoon, lying in the shade of a huge tree nestled up against one of the twin gables of our farm house, on a leather throw listening to vinyls of some of the greatest singers and orchestras the 1950s and 1960s had to offer.

It was only fairly recently that I realised that this monarch could be made into a fabulous savoury salad.

You’ll need:

1 small red onion, sliced thinly

1 lemon

1 bunch flat leafed parsley

1.5kg watermelon, well chilled

2 rolls Fairview Chevin

1 bunch mint – roughly chopped

handful of toasted pumpkin seeds

100g toasted walnuts

pumpkin seed oil for drizzling

extra virgin olive oil

freshly milled black pepper

Method:

Place the sliced onion in a small bowl and grate over the zest of the lemon and squeeze over the juice. Cut the watermelon, use the heart if possible, and cut it into thin slices.  Lay a bed of the flat leafed parsley on plate and place the watermelon slices on top.  Crumble over the goat’s cheese, sprinkle over the mint, the toasted pumpkin seeds, the walnuts, the sliced onion, and drizzle over the pumpkin seed oil.  Drizzle over a stream of olive oil and add a few grinds of black pepper.

Serves 6-8

And the perfect wine to go with it is Christophe Durand’s Vins d’Orrance Kama Chenin Blanc 2010.  Layere os sweet spice, gentle oak flavours from 3rd fill barrels and a long finish.  Made in honor of his wife, Sabrina.

Vins d'Orrance Kama Chenin Blanc 2010