Cucumber Watermelon Salad with Pecorino Romano, Toasted Pine Nuts and Basil

Last weekend my Grandpa brought me over a bag of home grown cucumbers from his garden and I have been enjoying them all week.  There is simply no substitute for growning them yourself, the ones from the store never taste the same!  I love to simply eat them with hummus for a snack, or blend them up into a cold soup, they are so good!  I was given a watermelon yesterday, and so I thought, what better to pair it with than the cool cucumbers! 

It has been hot and humid all week afterall, and I think we are all in need of a bit of cooling from the inside out.  Nothing complicated here, just the cukes and melon, to which I added a bit of fresh basil from my herb garden and some pine nuts and pecorino romano for richness.  Then to top it off I drizzled it with a bit of lemon juice and basil oil I had on hand.  So refreshing!  Simple summer produce at its best!  This is a wonderful combination you can only enjoy at the peak of summer.  Here is the recipe if you would like to try some for yourself!

Cucumber Watermelon Salad with Pecorino Romano, Toasted Pine Nuts and Basil

Serves 3

1 medium organic cucumber, sliced into rings

1 1/2 cup organic watermelon, cut into chunks

3 Tbsp pine nuts

3/4 oz pecorino romano cheese, shaved

a few fresh basil leaves cut into chiffonade

Dressing:

1 Tbsp lemon juice

2 Tbsp basil oil

sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

On each of 3 plates, arrange cucumber and melon decoratively, sprinkle with pine nuts, pecorino and basil leaves.  In a small bowl, whisk together lemon juice and basil oil and drizzle over the salads.  Sprinkle with a little sea salt and pepper if desired. 

Roasted Potato and Celeriac Salad with White Truffle Oil

Celeriac is like the ugly stepsister of the veggies...it looks like a tangled mess of roots and I have to admit the first time I came across it I had no idea what it was and was rather intimidated.  I now know that it is delicious when peeled and thinly sliced to go raw into a salad or roasted and pureed eaten like mashed potatoes. 

It was funny, the other week I was picking some up, and a cute guy who happened to be standing next to me in the produce department picking up some beets said to me, "What the heck is THAT?"  I explained to him what it was but he still seemed skeptical about how tasty it could be.  However he still asked for my advice on how best to prepare the beets, as he was buying them for the first time.  I should have gotten his number...oh well.  Back to the celeriac, I thought it would be wonderful roasted with some potatoes in a warm salad along with some leeks.  I figured all of the earthy flavors  would be friendly  and delicious with one another. 

 

The veggies would have been delicious simply roasted with olive oil and seasoned with a little sea salt and freshly ground pepper, but I tossed them in a truffle oil vinaigrette, further adding to the earthiness, and deliciousness of the salad.  I still thought it needed something to finish it off so I shaved some pecorino romano over the top and sprinkled a few toasted pine nuts.  It was amazing!  The crisp on the outside tender on the inside veggies were full of flavor, and the truffle oil set them off.  The salty pecorino romano was a perfect match for the earthy vegetables, and the pine nuts added a nice toasty crunch!  So much for the celeriac being an ugly stepsister, it is awefully delicious!  Here is the salad recipe if you would like to try some!

Roasted Potato and Celeriac Salad with White Truffle Oil
Serves 4

1 large celeriac, cut into large cubes
3 cups baby potatoes, cut into 3rds
2 large leeks, thickly sliced
olive oil
1 tsp dried thyme, or 1 Tbsp fresh
1 Tbsp white truffle oil
1 Tbsp olive oil

2 Tbsp lemon juice

1 garlic clove, minced
sea salt
freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup toasted pine nuts
2 oz shaved pecorino romano cheese

Preheat oven to 475 degrees, and line a baking sheet with foil.  Toss celeriac, potatoes, and leeks with just enough olive oil to coat, and spread out on sheet.  Roast for 15-20 minutes, or until tender and browned at the edges.  Remove from oven and let cool to room temperature.  In a small bowl, whisk together thyme, truffle oil, 1 Tbsp olive oil,  lemon juice, garlic, sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.  Place veggies in a large bowl, pour dressing over, and toss to coat.  Place on a serving plate, and sprinkle with pine nuts and pecorino romano.