My maternal grandmother is many things, but a good cook isn't really on the list. Born in the height of the Great Depression, her culinary point of view is "waste not, want not."
She is best known for her pantry cleaning meals in which ingredients that don't belong in a dish find their way into the mix. She's even thrown entire leftover dishes into new dishes, like some weird kick start to an entirely new meal. Of course, these ingredients are most frequently at the end of their shelf life, so they have questionable flavors, scents and textures. I ask a lot of questions before I dig into anything grandma makes.
So, when I was cruising food Web sites the other day for an interesting summer recipe, a watermelon salad with tomatoes, goat cheese and basil, stood out to me. Cheese, basil and tomatoes is a classic combination, but the watermelon in there threw me for a loop and it made me think it was something grandma would make. I was skeptical, to say the least.
To my pleasant surprise, it was amazing. Easy, bright and flavorful, it's going to be my summer go-to dish to bring along to any picnic, pot luck, or party. As the summer season progresses, the dish will get even better as watermelon comes into season locally and the tomatoes and basil can come straight out of my garden.
I found a recipe for edamame guacamole, too, but that's another story...
