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Riley Medina, an enthusiastic young farmer, has become a familiar face at Urban Harvest's Saturday market. His farm, Messina Regenerative, is hard to miss. Each week, his stand is arranged with care and precision: a brightly colored tablecloth stretched neatly across the table, thoughtfully displayed produce and Riley ready with a smile to tell shoppers about everything he grows.
A large basket of shallots and red onions dug up hours ago grace the table, too. Upright rosemary stalks, sage, lemon balm and mint sprigs in mason jars, neat tight wads of bright green young nopales ready to hit the grill and small crisp cucumbers waiting to be chopped into a salad. A few dozen eggs lay off to the side from the chickens Riley raises. Jars of cucumber pickles and kimchi sit in a rack.
Last week he had tiny green melons called the Sakata, or sweet melon. It's a lot like the honeydew, but sweeter and more delicate. Here is a composed salad made entirely from the spoils of Riley's farm stand. Substitute to your hearts pleasure but don't skip the pan roasted alliums as they lend tremendous depth to the salad.
Melon Salad
For the roasted shallots
6 to 7 small or 3 large shallots
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
Pinch of red chile powder
For the salad
4 to 5 small nopales paddles
1 Sakata Sweet melon, honeydew or other ripe melon, peeled, seeded and cut into 2-inch wedges
Handful of lemon balm leaves
2 tablespoons pumpkin seeds
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Juice of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Instructions: Peel the shallots and cut them into thick slices. Heat the olive oil in a small skillet over high heat. Add the cumin seeds and cook until fragrant. Stir in the shallots, reduce the heat to medium-high and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the salt, cover the pan and continue cooking until the shallots are tender and golden brown, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the chile powder.
Grill the nopales until tender and lightly charred on both sides, or boil them for 25 to 30 minutes. Cut into wedges.
Arrange the melon wedges on a large platter. Add the nopales and roasted shallots, then tuck the lemon balm leaves throughout the salad. Sprinkle with the pumpkin seeds.
Season with salt and pepper, squeeze the lemon juice over the top and finish with a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil.
Notes and variations
- Substitute mint, cilantro or parsley for the lemon balm.
- Red, white or yellow onions can be used instead of shallots.
- Finish the salad with shaved Parmesan or crumbled chèvre, if desired.
Serves 4 to 6
From Anita Jaisinghani
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