Watermelon dreams on a summer eve

The Nosher via JTA — A warm night, a balcony overlooking the Mediterranean and a big bowl of watermelon with feta cheese: If we had to take a guess, that would be our mom’s definition of the perfect summer dinner.

If you’ve never tasted watermelon and feta together before, it may sound like a strange combination. But give it a taste and you will certainly be hooked. The sweetness of the juicy watermelon meets the rich, salty feta creating an explosion of flavor on every perfect bite.

Inspired by the traditional Israeli watermelon salad, we created this recipe incorporating protein rich chickpeas, greens and sweet tomatoes beautifully arranged on top of a thick, slice of watermelon — all drizzled with a tangy lemon, mustard and olive oil dressing.

It’s a light, refreshing addition to a summer brunch, lunch or light dinner.

Watermelon Steak Topped with Chickpea and Feta Salad

Ingredients:
For the salad:
1 small baby watermelon
6 romaine lettuce leaves, chopped (you can also use your favorite greens)
16 red cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
6 small yellow tomatoes, quartered
1 cup crumbled sheep’s feta cheese ( about 6 ounces)
1 15-ounce can garbanzo beans
1 cup chopped parsley
2 teaspoons sumac

For the dressing:
2 tablespoons brown mustard
2 tablespoons lemon
1 tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/8 teaspoon salt

Directions:
Slice the watermelon into four 1/2-inch rounds and remove the rind.

Place the rest of the salad ingredients in a large bowl. Whisk all dressing ingredients together until well incorporated. Add dressing to salad and toss well.

Arrange salad on top of each watermelon slice and sprinkle with sumac. Serve immediately.

(Vicky Cohen and Ruth Fox are sisters who were raised in Barcelona, Spain. Their parents are Syrian-Lebanese Jews but now live, cook and blog from the East Coast of the US about their family recipes and healthy eating at May I Have That Recipe.)

The Nosher food blog offers a dazzling array of new and classic Jewish recipes and food news, from Europe to Yemen, from challah to shakshuka and beyond. Check it out at www.TheNosher.com.