My favorite recipe inspo, Cooking Light, published this recipe in their July 2012 magazine. I made it for the first time then, and Joe was over the MOON for it. It is a very bright and summery recipe, and with the weather finally warming up here, I decided it was time to pull it out again!
You can make several variations of this salad, with different cheeses (goat would be great) and fruits (try peaches or nectarines). I was craving melon though, and the mixture of the lemony dressing with the salty prosciutto gets me every time! I’ve made this recipe with and without the serrano pepper. I like it with, because it adds some complexity to the flavors, but it’s just as good without!
As always, the below recipe makes only two salads, because that’s how many I make for Joe and I. Double the recipe if you are serving 4! (The dressing is for 4 though, I only used half for us and saved the other half for later).
Salad
1 c. sliced watermelon
1 c. sliced honeydew
2-3 tbsp. sliced red onion
1/2 serrano pepper, thinly sliced
2 cups arugula
2 tbsp mint leaves
3 ounces prosciutto, thinly sliced
1/2 ounce Parmesan cheese, shaved
Dressing
3 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
2 tbsp. olive oil
1.5 tbsp. honey
Pinch of salt
After you get through all the chopping, this recipe is very simple! Combine the salad ingredients through the serrano in a bowl. Mix together the dressing ingredients in a separate bowl, and then add about half of the dressing to the fruit mixture. Save the other half in the fridge for another salad, perhaps for lunch tomorrow!
Arrange 1 cup arugula and 1 tbsp. mint on each plate, and top with half of the fruit mixture, half of the prosciutto and cheese, and sprinkle a little salt and pepper over both plates.
DELICIOUS!
Nichelle Ley, Chef J.D. 