Pasta Salad with Prosciutto and Melon

I adore melon and prosciutto together.  Especially now when ripe melons are available at the markets. I also love a good pasta salad - cold pasta with vinaigrette and veggies is one of my favourite meals. 

So I decided to combine these loves in a pasta salad with prosciutto and melon. 

I received a Galia melon in my CSA box.  It's a small green melon that tastes similar to honeydew.  This salad would also be great with cantaloupe.  

I used medium shells for the pasta.  Orecchiette would also be great here.  Any short pasta will do but I like the way the shells mimic the shape of the scoops of melon.

I think this is the first time my melon baller has been used for melon!  You could certainly just dice the melon but I like the little half-balls.

For the dressing, I made a quick white wine vinaigrette right in the pasta pot after cooking and draining the pasta. This made it a one-pot meal, but you can make all the components separately if you prefer.  

I mixed the prosciutto into the salad, but it has a tendency to clump together.  I'd advise adding the proscuitto to each individual salad once it's plated so it keeps it's vibrant colour and stays separate.

The result was a wonderful, cool, refreshing, salad that made a great summer dinner.  I ate it for lunch the next day too and it kept surprisingly well.  

Here's the recipe:

For the salad:
500 grams (1 lb) medium pasta shells, orecchiette, penne or pasta of your choice
1 small Galia melon or half a medium cantaloupe or honeydew melon
1 sprig of basil leaves, sliced if large
1 green onion, thinly sliced
125 grams (1/4 lb) thinly sliced prosciutto
125 grams (1/4 lb) diced or crumbled feta or ricotta salata

For the dressing:
3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/4 cup olive oil
salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Cook the pasta according to package directions until al dente.  Drain and rinse under cold water until cool.
2. Meanwhile, halve the melon, remove the seeds, and use a melon baller to scrape out balls or scoops of melon. Alternatively, peel and dice the melon.
3. In the empty pasta pot or a large bowl, combine the vinegar and red pepper flakes.  Whisk in oil until combined. Season with salt and pepper to taste. 
4. Add the pasta to the dressing and toss well to combine.  Gently add the melon, basil and green onion.  
5. Plate the salad in individual servings and top each serving with torn slices of prosciutto and cheese.  Sprinkle generously with black pepper to serve. 

Enjoy!  

Leg of Lamb Stuffed with Kale & Feta

Lamb is lovely.  I like the taste and how it can be prepared so many different ways.  I also feel like it's a healthy alternative to other meats.  

I found a small, frozen, boneless leg of lamb for a very good price in the grocery store and decided to make this tasty stuffed lamb.  

Here's what you need:

Watermelon Feta Salad

Don't be scared.  It may seem weird to mix watermelon with savoury feta but the taste is so delicious!  It is sweet, salty and refreshing.  I highly recommend this for lunch or dinner! 

I used a quarter of a medium-sized melon for 2 generous servings.  Remove the skin from the watermelon. 

Lentil Salad and Carrot Daikon Salad

I made these two salads to serve with grilled lamb kofta and they were a great match.

The lentil salad is from Epicurious. Here's what you need:

1 cup green or brown lentils
3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 cup couscous
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup olive oil
1 large garlic clove
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh mint leaves1/4 pound feta

Greek Pasta Salad

This is a very tasty and easy salad for lunch, a side dish for a barbecue or to bring to a potluck.

I am not a great fan of raw tomatoes, bell peppers and olives, but this was to feed a group so I added in all the appropriate tastes.  I used a bottled Greek viniagrette to make things very easy, and tri-colour fusilli for a nice, bright, colourful salad.

While the pasta cooked, I chopped the bell peppers, red onion, cucumbers and feta cheese and halved the pitted kalamata olives and grape tomatoes.


I added the cooked, cooled pasta and poured the dressing over, then mixed it together and let it sit overnight for the flavours to mix together.  

Delicious, easy, hearty, and very well received at the pot luck!