Melon, feta and orange salad
Recipe by:
Azmina Govindji
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Easy
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Ready in:
25 mins
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Here, the classic starter of melon and Parma ham is transformed into a tempting main-dish salad with the addition of feta cheese, cherry tomatoes, cucumber and oranges. Serve for lunch, with warm ciabatta bread to mop up the juices, or as a starter for 6 people.
Recipe provided by:
Reader's Digest
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DIABETES Cookbook
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| 2 oranges |
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| ½ honeydew melon, peeled, seeded and sliced |
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| 115 g (4 oz) cherry tomatoes, halved |
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| 85 g (3 oz) stoned black olives |
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| ½ small cucumber, diced |
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| 4 spring onions, thinly sliced |
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| 6 slices of Parma ham, about 80 g (2¾ oz) in total, trimmed of all fat and cut into strips |
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| 75 g (3½ oz) feta cheese, roughly broken into pieces |
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| Orange and basil dressing |
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| ½ tsp grated orange zest |
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| 4 tbsp orange juice |
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| 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil |
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| 1 tsp toasted sesame oil |
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| 6 fresh basil leaves, shredded |
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| cracked black pepper |
Preparation method
1.
Make the dressing first. Mix the orange zest and juice with the olive oil, sesame oil and basil in a large salad bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
2.
Cut the peel and pith away from the oranges with a sharp knife. Holding them over the salad bowl to catch the juice, cut between the membrane to release the orange segments. Add the segments to the bowl.
3.
Add the melon, tomatoes, olives, cucumber, spring onions and Parma ham. Toss until the ingredients are well blended and coated in dressing. Scatter the feta cheese over the top and serve.
Copyright
Copyright by The Readers Digest Association, Inc. 2004
Some more ideas
Substitute Serrano ham from Spain or smoky Black Forest ham for the Parma ham. * As an alternative to honeydew melon, try other varieties such as Ogen or Charentais or a wedge of watermelon. * To make a melon and fresh pineapple salad with cottage cheese, mix the melon, tomato and cucumber with ½ pineapple, peeled, cored and chopped, and 3 shallots, thinly sliced. Make a lime dressing by mixing ½ tsp grated lime zest and 2 tbsp lime juice with 2 tbsp sunflower oil and 1 tsp clear honey. Season to taste. Stir the dressing into the melon mixture and pile onto 4 plates. Spoon 75 g (2½ oz) plain cottage cheese on top of each salad and scatter over roasted, chopped macadamia nuts, 50 g (1¾ oz) in total. Garnish generously with small sprigs of watercress.
Plus points
Although feta cheese is high in fat and salt, it is an excellent source of calcium, and because it has a strong flavour a little goes a long way. Calcium in dairy products is much more easily absorbed by the body than calcium from other foods. Since the feta and ham provide a salty flavour, keep the sodium in this recipe low by avoiding extra salt. * Only 1 in 4 people in the UK drink enough water or other fluid. Foods that have a high water content, such as melon and cucumber, are an easy way of increasing fluid intake.
Each serving provides
Excellent source of vitamin C. Good source of calcium, vitamin B6, vitamin B12. Useful source of folate, potassium, vitamin A, vitamin B1, vitamin E.