Chile out

All right kids, it's Blogapalooza this week since I leave for Spain in 10 days and I'm not sure when I'll be able to update next. Don't worry, I won't forget about all 7 of you faithful readers.

Today let's talk about chiles. Hot ones, mild ones, green ones, red ones, dried ones, small girls, tall girls, I'm calling all girls...uh, sorry. Anyway, usually I'm not a huge fan. I hate jalapenos and that happens to be the most common in the chile family. Luckily, I stumbled across a recipe for a savory fruit salad that involves new and incredible types of chiles--ones that offer heat and smokiness and are, shockingly, fantastic when combined with watermelon and feta.

Now don't roll your eyes at me; I know everyone and their brother has had some crappy version of a feta and watermelon salad at a picnic or potluck where the watermelon is flavorless and the feta is overly salty and everything just tastes like too much cilantro. Make me puke. This salad is a highly updated version with all the right elements of salty, sweet, spicy and crunchy. I could eat this salad until I had a mad watermelon-feta bloat and no one wanted to look at me anymore.

The key to this salad is to use high-quality ingredients. Don't use crappy feta or the salt will overpower the dish. Same goes for the fleur de sel that you sprinkle on top: a light hand is key here. Bright and grassy olive oil works miracles when drizzled on top; if you only have EVOO just skip it. Not sure what to buy? Ask around in a higher-end grocery store. And don't skimp on the pepitas (roasted pumpkin seeds)! Their crunch is unbelievably satisfying.

As an added bonus, this salad is really freakin pretty. Instagram that shit before it's all gone.

This salad will keep in the fridge tightly covered for about 3 days.

Ingredients:
4-pound piece seedless watermelon
5 ounces (1 cup) feta cheese, crumbled
1/2 cup loosely packed parsley leaves
1/3 cup loosely packed mint leaves
1 fresh hot chile, like scotch bonnet, seeded and thinly sliced
Aleppo pepper (can substitute fresh cracked black pepper or chopped red pepper flakes)
Fleur de sel
1/3 cup roasted pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
1/4 cup very good extra-virgin olive oil plus more for drizzling
1 lime



1.Cut and discard the rind from the watermelon, then cut the fruit into small pieces about 1/4 inch wide.
2. In a large shallow serving bowl, layer half of the watermelon, sprinkle over half the feta, and scatter half the cilantro, mint and fresh chile. Season with a generous sprinkle of pepper and crush several generous pinches of salt over the top. Sprinkle with half the pepitas, drizzle with half of the oil, then squeeze half of the lime juice over the top.

3. Repeat with the remaining ingredients. Drizzle with a little extra oil, if desired.

This recipe is from the slightly snobbish cookbook "Salads: Beyond the Bowl" by Mindy Fox ($19.95)