- A vibrant, colourful dish that makes a wonderful alfresco lunch
I am expecting this week’s recipe to cause a bit of controversy, because if there’s one topic that I know sparks passionate culinary debate it is: ‘does fruit have any place in a salad?’. I’d guess most Brits would be firmly in the ‘no’ camp.
I’m not so hardline in my feelings because I think there are some occasions when it works really well. Green apple can deliver crisp tartness to a slaw, ripe figs are wonderful with cured ham and soft cheeses, while pomegranate seeds bring essential vibrancy to all sorts of Middle Eastern-style salads.
I tend to draw the line at berries and kiwis, though the internet is rife with them as they are popular in the US.
Watermelon is another fruit that pops up a lot in summer salads, usually with feta cheese. It’s tried and tested, but I think that ripe, sunshine-orange cantaloupe can make a better salad melon.
Brilliant Spanish chef José Pizarro introduced me to the very simple combination of melon, cucumber and tomato that features in this week’s recipe. It is hugely successful, as the cantaloupe is neither as sweet nor as wet as watermelon, and it pairs beautifully with the salty serrano ham.
Incidentally, cucumber and melon come from the same family (Cucurbitaceae – cucumber being a fruit, botanically), which is why I think they also work so harmoniously here, too.
Method
100g serrano ham, £1.89; 1 cantaloupe melon, £2
1 cucumber, 89p; 250g cherry vine tomatoes, £2.25
Halve the cherry tomatoes, put in a mixing bowl and season with salt.
Meanwhile, halve and deseed the melon, then cut into slices and remove the skin. Chop into chunks.
Halve the cucumber lengthways and scoop out the seeds (you can add these to smoothies), then chop into chunks.
For the dressing, whisk together 3 tbsp olive oil, 1½ tbsp red wine vinegar and ½ tsp honey with salt and pepper.
Add the melon and cucumber to the bowl with the tomatoes, then toss with half the dressing. Tip on to a large platter, or divide between individual plates, and top with strips of the serrano ham. Spoon over a little more of the dressing (you may not need it all). Some shredded mint leaves are a nice addition, if you have them.
Do you have a great recipe for eating well and cutting food bills? Email [email protected]. If we print it here, we’ll send you a bottle of champagne.
*This cost assumes you already have some basic store-cupboard ingredients. prices taken from Sainsbury’s and correct at time of going to press.
Illustrations: Ellie Allen-Eslor