Watermelon Beets Up On Your Salad

Image courtesy of Creative Commons

Call me a square but I really do not like watermelon, especially oddly shaped $300 ones from Japan as pictured above. This watermelon diss comes as an even bigger shock to people than my fear of tomatoes and allergy to cilantro combined. And now that I have thrown myself under the bus of culinary credibility you can rise up from your cheek deep stance within that wedge of watermelon and mock me for what I am: a writer of things food with the sometimes palate of a preschooler.

Perhaps I have never come across a great watermelon or maybe it is the seeds that put me off. And since seedless varieties of most produce creep me out, watermelons have me in a bit of a pickle. Not that I will be giving you a recipe for pickled watermelon rind, either. While I am at it, I would not like green eggs and ham.

Nibbling negatives aside, two influences this week have been working me toward trying watermelon in a whole different genre: the main course. The first is Francis Lam’s article. He not only recommended some selection criteria that may help me find a tasty one, but I was fascinated by a serving suggestion at the end of the article. Warm and salty? Since I have always found watermelon a bit lacking in the flavor department perhaps a little salt and less chill would spruce it up nicely.

My second influence on the route toward savory watermelon hails from a new-old eatery concept. Earlier I mentioned a bus of culinary credibility. That was more than a metaphor: one really exists. Ok, it is not quite a bus, it is an Airstream trailer. Here in Boulder, Colorado we have a resident answering to the title of America’s Top Chef. He also probably answers to Hosea Rosenburg, since that it his name. His latest ode to food travels to lucky venues around Boulder County and is dubbed StrEat Chefs. The menu is inspired by street food world-wide and ranges from tater tots to bahn mi.

Last Monday, I ate StrEat food from the Airstream trailer where it was parked for the evening up at the Boulder Chautauqua. Hosea had cooked up many clever dishes, among them Watermelon Gazpacho, a Beet Salad, Thai Shrimp with Glass Noodles, and a Corn on the Cob that kept me looking for an unbitten morsel long after all kernels had been consumed. All of these items sold for $2 - $6 in substantial portions. As I feasted on my purchases under a picnic shelter, I had the sense of having stolen away with a gourmet spread for the price of a fast food value meal.

Image courtesy of StrEatChefs.com

The biggest revelations among those imbibing in the trailer cuisine seemed to be the beet salad and the watermelon gazpacho. I passed on the gazpacho because of my general distaste for watermelon but after tasting the beet salad I kind of wish I had ordered everything. The beet salad was a mixture of sliced strawberries, cubes of roasted beets, and chunks of orange served on a bed of arugula and topped with spicy walnuts and goat cheese. The sweetness of the beets lent perfectly to the dedicated fruitiness of the dish and the meaty texture made for a salad that could easily be a meal. The bitter arugula, salty tang of cheese, and fiery walnuts balanced not only the flavor but the texture and nutritional profile as well.

I have been thinking about that salad - and also how I missed out on the watermelon gazpacho - all day today. So, in honor of this week’s challenge, here is my watermelon riff on Hosea Rosenburg’s Beet Salad.

Watermelon Beet Salad
2 cups watermelon, cubed
1 cup roasted beets, cubed
1 cup orange, peeled and cut into chunks
2 cups baby arugula (if it is super-bitter, use less of it and swap in some spinach)
4 oz goat cheese, crumbled
½ cup spiced walnuts (recipe follows)

Mix together watermelon, beets, and oranges with a pinch of salt. The juices create a dressing of their own. Toss with arugula and top with goat cheese and walnuts.



Spiced Walnuts
2 cups walnut halves
½ cup sugar
1 tbsp butter
1 tsp chipotle chile powder (or cayenne if you prefer)
¼ tsp salt

Toast walnuts in a 350 degree oven for 6 minutes. Melt sugar and better in a heavy saucepan and season with chile powder and salt. Mix in walnuts until well coated then spread across wax paper to cool, separating the nuts with a fork.