Description
This is light and lovely with a delicious floral sweetness from the melon. To make the salad even prettier, tear a few bright yellow zucchini flowers into the salad if you have them. We have a small melon baller to make the pearls, but if you don’t have one simply cut the melon into small cubes instead.
Ingredients
Scale
for the dressing
- ½ to 1 red or green chile (according to taste, finely chopped)
- 1 small garlic clove (finely grated)
- finely grated zest of ½ lemon (plus extra to garnish)
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
for the salad
- 3 medium zucchini (thinly sliced)
- 4 round tomatoes (diced, or 8 cherry tomatoes, halved)
- 1 red pepper (seeded and finely sliced)
- a handful of basil leaves (tough stems discarded)
- ½ honeydew or cantaloupe melon (cut into balls)
- 1 cup ricotta (drained)
Instructions
- Mix the dressing ingredients together in a bowl. Season to taste and
- set aside.
- Arrange a layer of zucchini slices, tomatoes, and red pepper
- strips on one large serving plate or individual ones. Pour on a little
- dressing. Add the remaining sliced vegetables on top followed by the
- remaining dressing. (At this point the salad will keep for a few hours
- in the fridge if you want to serve it later.)
- Just before serving, scatter the basil leaves and melon balls on top,
- and top with teaspoon-sized quenelles of ricotta. To do this squeeze
- a heaping teaspoon of ricotta between 2 teaspoons into a quenelle,
- an egg shape with pointed ends. Use one spoon to scoop the shape
- out from the other and place onto the salad. Grate a little extra lemon
- zest on top and finish with a good grind of black pepper.
Notes
Recipes taken from Around the World in 120 Salads by Katie & Giancarlo Caldesi. Published by Kyle Books, photography by Helen Cathcart.
- Category: Side