Watermelon and Watercress Salad from Osteria Coppa

A deliciously refreshing summer salad from a proud happy boy supporter!

Total Time: 15 min. Servings: 4

Posted by Rob

I recently had the opportunity to dine at Osteria Coppa located in the heart of San Mateo. Although Osteria Coppa is one of our newer restaurants, executive chef Chanan Kamen has been working with Happy Boy Farms' produce for a long time while honing his skills for the last five years at Quince in San Francisco. While plate after plate of mouth-watering, house-made pasta and pizzas kept arriving at the table, there was one dish that caught my attention. Served as a side dish in between heavier courses, this Watermelon and Watercress Salad cleansed my palate and refreshed my taste buds in preparartion of the next course. Since I ate there in late spring, I also found Happy Boy sugar snap peas sneaked into the salad. They are a nice addition, but by no means necessary. I asked chef Chanan to share his recipe - give it a try and you'll be dancing for more.

INGREDIENTS

1 medium sized wathemelon, diced in about 1inch cubes

4oz watercress, roughly chopped

1/2 cup Taggiasche Olives, chopped

1/2 lb sheeps milk feta

1/2 lb sugar snap peas, "string" removed and thinly sliced

1/3 cup red wine vinegar

1/4 cup shallots, peeled and chopped

3-4 tablespoons olive oil

3-4 springs of mint, finely chopped

PREPARATION

Combine diced watermelon, chopped Taggiasche olives, sheeps milk feta, and thinly sliced sugar snap peas, and mint in a large bowl.

Combine red wine vinegar, shallots, and olive oil in a bowl to create a red wine vinaigrette. 

Pour half of the vinaigrette into bowl and toss all the ingredients together.

Plate ingredients and garnish with watercress. 

Use the rest of the vinaigrette mixture to dress salad

Serve cold or at room temperature and watch the smiles form. 

Ah, summer!