It's watermelon time!!! I was reading an article in todays NY Times
about the little 'personal' watermelons you find now in the
supermarkets and reminiscing about my childhood and the huge
watermelons we used to have in the Summer. They were so big I could
hardly carry one.
Aaah, the fun of spitting seeds at each other!! We always had fun
'thumping' watermelons to see if they were ripe.

They had this nifty sounding watermelon salad recipe:



Cucumber-Watermelon Salad

Time: 15 minutes, plus at least 30 minutes’ resting time

4 cups watermelon, seeded and cut into generous 1/2-inch cubes

3 cups Asian or English cucumbers (about 2 large cucumbers), peeled,
seeded and cut into 1/2-inch cubes

3 1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

3 tablespoons hoisin sauce

2 teaspoons seeded and finely diced jalapeño, or to taste

1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste

1/3 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

Black pepper

1/3 cup coarsely chopped lightly salted pistachios.

1. Combine melon and cucumber in a colander set over a medium bowl.
Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 30 minutes and up to
4 hours.

2. Transfer melon and cucumber to serving bowl. Whisk lime juice,
hoisin sauce, jalapeño and salt in a small bowl and pour over cucumber
and melon. Add parsley and toss gently. Add black pepper to taste and
additional salt if needed. Sprinkle the salad with pistachios.

Yield: 6 to 8 servings.

On Aug 18, 12:08*pm, ImStillMags > wrote:
> It's watermelon time!!! * I was reading an article in todays NY Times
> about the little 'personal' watermelons you find now in the
> supermarkets and reminiscing about my childhood and the huge
> watermelons we used to have in the Summer. * They were so big I could
> hardly carry one.
> Aaah, the fun of spitting seeds at each other!! *We always had fun
> 'thumping' watermelons to see if they were ripe.
>
> They had this nifty sounding watermelon salad recipe:
>
> Cucumber-Watermelon Salad
>
> Time: 15 minutes, plus at least 30 minutes’ resting time
>
> 4 cups watermelon, seeded and cut into generous 1/2-inch cubes
>
> 3 cups Asian or English cucumbers (about 2 large cucumbers), peeled,
> seeded and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
>
> 3 1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
>
> 3 tablespoons hoisin sauce
>
> 2 teaspoons seeded and finely diced jalapeño, or to taste
>
> 1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
>
> 1/3 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
>
> Black pepper
>
> 1/3 cup coarsely chopped lightly salted pistachios.
>
> 1. Combine melon and cucumber in a colander set over a medium bowl.
> Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 30 minutes and up to
> 4 hours.
>
> 2. Transfer melon and cucumber to serving bowl. Whisk lime juice,
> hoisin sauce, jalapeño and salt in a small bowl and pour over cucumber
> and melon. Add parsley and toss gently. Add black pepper to taste and
> additional salt if needed. Sprinkle the salad with pistachios.
>
> Yield: 6 to 8 servings.

Sounds good on a hot day!!

On Aug 18, 12:08*pm, ImStillMags > wrote:
> It's watermelon time!!! * I was reading an article in todays NY Times
> about the little 'personal' watermelons you find now in the
> supermarkets and reminiscing about my childhood and the huge
> watermelons we used to have in the Summer. * They were so big I could
> hardly carry one.
> Aaah, the fun of spitting seeds at each other!! *We always had fun
> 'thumping' watermelons to see if they were ripe.
>
> They had this nifty sounding watermelon salad recipe:
>
> Cucumber-Watermelon Salad
>
> Time: 15 minutes, plus at least 30 minutes’ resting time
>
> 4 cups watermelon, seeded and cut into generous 1/2-inch cubes
>
> 3 cups Asian or English cucumbers (about 2 large cucumbers), peeled,
> seeded and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
>
> 3 1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
>
> 3 tablespoons hoisin sauce
>
> 2 teaspoons seeded and finely diced jalapeño, or to taste
>
> 1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
>
> 1/3 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
>
> Black pepper
>
> 1/3 cup coarsely chopped lightly salted pistachios.
>
> 1. Combine melon and cucumber in a colander set over a medium bowl.
> Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 30 minutes and up to
> 4 hours.
>
> 2. Transfer melon and cucumber to serving bowl. Whisk lime juice,
> hoisin sauce, jalapeño and salt in a small bowl and pour over cucumber
> and melon. Add parsley and toss gently. Add black pepper to taste and
> additional salt if needed. Sprinkle the salad with pistachios.
>
> Yield: 6 to 8 servings.



i've found that the small seedless watermelon are less sweet than the
big ones with seeds.

harriet & critters in hot (100f) azusa, with the a/c on.

On Wed, 18 Aug 2010 14:16:38 -0700 (PDT), "critters & me in azusa, ca"
> wrote:

> i've found that the small seedless watermelon are less sweet than the
> big ones with seeds.

Really? I guess there are all kinds of small, seedless watermelons
just like there are all kinds of "white" peaches.

--

Carrot cake counts as a serving of vegetables.

On Wed, 18 Aug 2010 17:00:57 -0700, Ranee at Arabian Knits
> wrote:

> The seedless ones don't have as much flavor, IMO. I'm so glad we
> live in an area where people can grow them and we can get a 20-40 pound
> watermelon for $3.00 at the side of the road. WIth seeds.

<shrug> and mine had unbelievable flavor. Much better than seeded
watermelons.

--

Carrot cake counts as a serving of vegetables.

sf wrote:

>> The seedless ones don't have as much flavor, IMO. I'm so glad we
>> live in an area where people can grow them and we can get a 20-40 pound
>> watermelon for $3.00 at the side of the road. WIth seeds.
>
> <shrug> and mine had unbelievable flavor. Much better than seeded
> watermelons.

My experience has been the same as Ranee's; the seeded watermelons have
better flavor than the seedless. Then again, I think jasmine rice is more
fragrant than normal long-grain rice. I'm not questioning your perception,
just saying that it seems to be different from that of most people.

Bob

Sitara wrote:

> Cucumber-Watermelon Salad
>
> Time: 15 minutes, plus at least 30 minutes’ resting time
>
> 4 cups watermelon, seeded and cut into generous 1/2-inch cubes
>
> 3 cups Asian or English cucumbers (about 2 large cucumbers), peeled,
> seeded and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
>
> 3 1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
>
> 3 tablespoons hoisin sauce
>
> 2 teaspoons seeded and finely diced jalapeño, or to taste
>
> 1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
>
> 1/3 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
>
> Black pepper
>
> 1/3 cup coarsely chopped lightly salted pistachios.
>
> 1. Combine melon and cucumber in a colander set over a medium bowl. Cover
> with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 30 minutes and up to 4 hours.
>
> 2. Transfer melon and cucumber to serving bowl. Whisk lime juice, hoisin
> sauce, jalapeño and salt in a small bowl and pour over cucumber and melon.
> Add parsley and toss gently. Add black pepper to taste and additional salt
> if needed. Sprinkle the salad with pistachios.
>
> Yield: 6 to 8 servings.


The hoisin looks a little weird in that recipe. Normally hoisin sauce is
cooked in oil to bring out its flavor (a point that Ming Tsai raises every
time he uses hoisin), "raw" hoisin is considered to be nasty.


Bob

Watermelon!
Watermelon!
Cadillac Car.
We are not as dumb as you think we be!

On Aug 19, 4:05*am, "Bob Terwilliger" >
wrote:

> The hoisin looks a little weird in that recipe. Normally hoisin sauce is
> cooked in oil to bring out its flavor (a point that Ming Tsai raises every
> time he uses hoisin), "raw" hoisin is considered to be nasty.

How does one reconcile that with the small dish of hoisin used
tableside with mushu pork or (IIRC) Peking duck? As far
as I can tell, it's right out of the jar (or 55-gallon drum).

Cindy Hamilton

On Aug 19, 1:05*am, "Bob Terwilliger" >
wrote:
> Sitara wrote:
> > Cucumber-Watermelon Salad
>
> > Time: 15 minutes, plus at least 30 minutes’ resting time
>
> > 4 cups watermelon, seeded and cut into generous 1/2-inch cubes
>
> > 3 cups Asian or English cucumbers (about 2 large cucumbers), peeled,
> > seeded and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
>
> > 3 1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
>
> > 3 tablespoons hoisin sauce
>
> > 2 teaspoons seeded and finely diced jalapeño, or to taste
>
> > 1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
>
> > 1/3 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
>
> > Black pepper
>
> > 1/3 cup coarsely chopped lightly salted pistachios.
>
> > 1. Combine melon and cucumber in a colander set over a medium bowl. Cover
> > with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 30 minutes and up to 4 hours..
>
> > 2. Transfer melon and cucumber to serving bowl. Whisk lime juice, hoisin
> > sauce, jalapeño and salt in a small bowl and pour over cucumber and melon.
> > Add parsley and toss gently. Add black pepper to taste and additional salt
> > if needed. Sprinkle the salad with pistachios.
>
> > Yield: 6 to 8 servings.
>
> The hoisin looks a little weird in that recipe. Normally hoisin sauce is
> cooked in oil to bring out its flavor (a point that Ming Tsai raises every
> time he uses hoisin), "raw" hoisin is considered to be nasty.
>
> Bob

I think it would add a layer of flavor and umami rather than being
'wierd', but that's my take on it.

Sitara wrote:

>>> Cucumber-Watermelon Salad
>>
>>> Time: 15 minutes, plus at least 30 minutes’ resting time
>>
>>> 4 cups watermelon, seeded and cut into generous 1/2-inch cubes
>>
>>> 3 cups Asian or English cucumbers (about 2 large cucumbers), peeled,
>>> seeded and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
>>
>>> 3 1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
>>
>>> 3 tablespoons hoisin sauce
>>
>>> 2 teaspoons seeded and finely diced jalapeño, or to taste
>>
>>> 1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
>>
>>> 1/3 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
>>
>>> Black pepper
>>
>>> 1/3 cup coarsely chopped lightly salted pistachios.
>>
>>> 1. Combine melon and cucumber in a colander set over a medium bowl.
>>> Cover> with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 30 minutes and up to 4
>>> hours.
>>
>>> 2. Transfer melon and cucumber to serving bowl. Whisk lime juice, hoisin
>>> sauce, jalapeño and salt in a small bowl and pour over cucumber and
>>> melon. Add parsley and toss gently. Add black pepper to taste and
>>> additional salt if needed. Sprinkle the salad with pistachios.
>>
>>> Yield: 6 to 8 servings.
>>
>> The hoisin looks a little weird in that recipe. Normally hoisin sauce is
>> cooked in oil to bring out its flavor (a point that Ming Tsai raises
>> every time he uses hoisin), "raw" hoisin is considered to be nasty.
>
> I think it would add a layer of flavor and umami rather than being
> 'wierd', but that's my take on it.

Funny you should mention umami; my first thought was that the salad should
have a bit of fish sauce instead of hoisin. I don't think the salad needs
the sweetness of hoisin, and as I mentioned, hoisin is supposed to be
cooked.

Bob

Cindy wrote:

>> The hoisin looks a little weird in that recipe. Normally hoisin sauce is
>> cooked in oil to bring out its flavor (a point that Ming Tsai raises
>> every time he uses hoisin), "raw" hoisin is considered to be nasty.
>
> How does one reconcile that with the small dish of hoisin used tableside
> with mushu pork or (IIRC) Peking duck? As far as I can tell, it's right
> out of the jar (or 55-gallon drum).

Then the kitchen is taking shortcuts. Hoisin sauce is supposed to be cooked.
It's loaded with starch, and needs to be cooked to take away its "raw"
taste. (Then again, curry powder is also supposed to be cooked, but you see
it being used raw by people who don't know any better all the time.)

Bob

On Wed, 18 Aug 2010 17:00:57 -0700, Ranee at Arabian Knits wrote:

> In article >,
> sf > wrote:
>
>> On Wed, 18 Aug 2010 14:16:38 -0700 (PDT), "critters & me in azusa, ca"
>> > wrote:
>>
>>> i've found that the small seedless watermelon are less sweet than the
>>> big ones with seeds.
>>
>> Really? I guess there are all kinds of small, seedless watermelons
>> just like there are all kinds of "white" peaches.
>
> The seedless ones don't have as much flavor, IMO. I'm so glad we
> live in an area where people can grow them and we can get a 20-40 pound
> watermelon for $3.00 at the side of the road. WIth seeds.

forty pounds! they must be the size of volkswagens.

your pal,
blake

They have gotten a little sweeter I noticed this year. Try the black ones with the yellow flesh. OMG GOOD!! They have seeds though. Seeds bring flavor.

On Aug 18, 12:08*pm, ImStillMags > wrote:

In todays Times there's another recipe that sounds even
stranger.......but the article is interesting and he swears it's
really good.

It's Watermelon and Pancetta Risotto....

http://dinersjournal.blogs.nytimes.c...to/?ref=dining

On Aug 19, 10:38*am, "Bob Terwilliger" >
wrote:
> Cindy wrote:
> >> The hoisin looks a little weird in that recipe. Normally hoisin sauce is
> >> cooked in oil to bring out its flavor (a point that Ming Tsai raises
> >> every time he uses hoisin), "raw" hoisin is considered to be nasty.
>
> > How does one reconcile that with the small dish of hoisin used tableside
> > with mushu pork or (IIRC) Peking duck? *As far as I can tell, it's right
> > out of the jar (or 55-gallon drum).
>
> Then the kitchen is taking shortcuts. Hoisin sauce is supposed to be cooked.
> It's loaded with starch, and needs to be cooked to take away its "raw"
> taste. (Then again, curry powder is also supposed to be cooked, but you see
> it being used raw by people who don't know any better all the time.)

Maybe it's cooked. I don't really know. I don't use it on mushu
(it's already
got enough flavor for me), and I can't recall the last time I had
Peking duck.
I doubt I would add it to anything at the table: it's far too sweet
for me.

Cindy Hamilton

Sitara wrote:

> In todays Times there's another recipe that sounds even stranger.......but
> the article is interesting and he swears it's really good.
>
> It's Watermelon and Pancetta Risotto....
>
> http://dinersjournal.blogs.nytimes.c...to/?ref=dining

Alton Brown did an episode of "Good Eats" in which he made a hot
(stir-fried) cantaloupe salad.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/a...ipe/index.html

I tried it. It was a flop.

I suspect that this might be a first cousin to that flop.

Bob

On Thu, 19 Aug 2010 01:05:05 -0700, "Bob Terwilliger"
> wrote:

> The hoisin looks a little weird in that recipe. Normally hoisin sauce is
> cooked in oil to bring out its flavor (a point that Ming Tsai raises every
> time he uses hoisin), "raw" hoisin is considered to be nasty.

Ming Tsai has his biases too... just like the "discussion" between the
turn it once and keep it moving schools of BBQ grilling. My first
Chinese chicken salad dressing recipe was the opposite of the light
dressings of today (that try to replicate some big name chain
restaurant's recipe), included hoi sin and it was delicious.

--

Carrot cake counts as a serving of vegetables.

Cindy wrote on Thu, 19 Aug 2010 10:17:51 -0700 (PDT):

> On Aug 19, 10:38 am, "Bob Terwilliger" >
> wrote:
>> Cindy wrote:
> >>> The hoisin looks a little weird in that recipe. Normally
> >>> hoisin sauce is cooked in oil to bring out its flavor (a
> >>> point that Ming Tsai raises every time he uses hoisin),
> >>> "raw" hoisin is considered to be nasty.
>>
> >> How does one reconcile that with the small dish of hoisin
> >> used tableside with mushu pork or (IIRC) Peking duck? As
> >> far as I can tell, it's right out of the jar (or 55-gallon
> >> drum).
>>
>> Then the kitchen is taking shortcuts. Hoisin sauce is
>> supposed to be cooked. It's loaded with starch, and needs to
>> be cooked to take away its "raw" taste. (Then again, curry
>> powder is also supposed to be cooked, but you see it being
>> used raw by people who don't know any better all the time.)

> Maybe it's cooked. I don't really know. I don't use it on
> mushu (it's already
> got enough flavor for me), and I can't recall the last time I
> had Peking duck.
> I doubt I would add it to anything at the table: it's far too sweet
> for me.

I think I mentioned previously that a 1:1 mixture of Hoisin and Sriracha
sauces makes a great dip for the meat in both beef and chicken Pho. It's
not my idea since I started using it after noticing people who looked
Vietnamese mixing it up. I also add a little (uncooked) Hoisin to the
soup itself.
--

James Silverton
Potomac, Maryland

Email, with obvious alterations: not.jim.silverton.at.verizon.not

sf wrote on Thu, 19 Aug 2010 11:40:32 -0700:

>> The hoisin looks a little weird in that recipe. Normally
>> hoisin sauce is cooked in oil to bring out its flavor (a
>> point that Ming Tsai raises every time he uses hoisin), "raw"
>> hoisin is considered to be nasty.

> Ming Tsai has his biases too... just like the "discussion"
> between the turn it once and keep it moving schools of BBQ
> grilling. My first Chinese chicken salad dressing recipe was
> the opposite of the light dressings of today (that try to
> replicate some big name chain restaurant's recipe), included
> hoi sin and it was delicious.

Well, to my taste Ming Tsai, whoever he is, is just plain wrong tho' I'd
agree that curry powder or curry spices should be cooked. Some people
make curry mayonnaise by stirring curry powder into store-bought.mayo
and the stuff is awful. If you cook the curry powder with a little
chopped onion for 2-3 minutes and add a little lemon juice the result is
much improved.

--

James Silverton
Potomac, Maryland

Email, with obvious alterations: not.jim.silverton.at.verizon.not

On Thu, 19 Aug 2010 15:55:49 -0400, "James Silverton"
> wrote:

> sf wrote on Thu, 19 Aug 2010 11:40:32 -0700:
>
> >> The hoisin looks a little weird in that recipe. Normally
> >> hoisin sauce is cooked in oil to bring out its flavor (a
> >> point that Ming Tsai raises every time he uses hoisin), "raw"
> >> hoisin is considered to be nasty.
>
> > Ming Tsai has his biases too... just like the "discussion"
> > between the turn it once and keep it moving schools of BBQ
> > grilling. My first Chinese chicken salad dressing recipe was
> > the opposite of the light dressings of today (that try to
> > replicate some big name chain restaurant's recipe), included
> > hoi sin and it was delicious.
>
> Well, to my taste Ming Tsai, whoever he is, is just plain wrong tho' I'd
> agree that curry powder or curry spices should be cooked. Some people
> make curry mayonnaise by stirring curry powder into store-bought.mayo
> and the stuff is awful. If you cook the curry powder with a little
> chopped onion for 2-3 minutes and add a little lemon juice the result is
> much improved.

I like copious amounts of "uncooked" hoisin with my mu-shu and peking
duck too.

--

Carrot cake counts as a serving of vegetables.

In article
>,
Cindy Hamilton > wrote:

> On Aug 19, 4:05*am, "Bob Terwilliger" >
> wrote:
>
> > The hoisin looks a little weird in that recipe. Normally hoisin sauce is
> > cooked in oil to bring out its flavor (a point that Ming Tsai raises every
> > time he uses hoisin), "raw" hoisin is considered to be nasty.
>
> How does one reconcile that with the small dish of hoisin used
> tableside with mushu pork or (IIRC) Peking duck? As far
> as I can tell, it's right out of the jar (or 55-gallon drum).

It's also a table sauce at Vietnamese restaurants, although I've never
used it.

--
Dan Abel
Petaluma, California USA

In article >,
blake murphy > wrote:

> On Wed, 18 Aug 2010 17:00:57 -0700, Ranee at Arabian Knits wrote:

> > The seedless ones don't have as much flavor, IMO. I'm so glad we
> > live in an area where people can grow them and we can get a 20-40 pound
> > watermelon for $3.00 at the side of the road. WIth seeds.
>
> forty pounds! they must be the size of volkswagens.

I worked in a produce warehouse the summer after high school. The big
watermelons came from texas, whole truckloads of them. I'd talk to the
drivers about how big they were (up to about 40 pounds), and they said
they didn't even bother to load the big ones onto the trucks, they would
have split from their own weight in transit.

--
Dan Abel
Petaluma, California USA

On 08/22/2010 07:32 PM, Dan Abel wrote:
> In >,
> blake > wrote:
>
>> On Wed, 18 Aug 2010 17:00:57 -0700, Ranee at Arabian Knits wrote:
>
>>> The seedless ones don't have as much flavor, IMO. I'm so glad we
>>> live in an area where people can grow them and we can get a 20-40 pound
>>> watermelon for $3.00 at the side of the road. WIth seeds.
>>
>> forty pounds! they must be the size of volkswagens.
>
> I worked in a produce warehouse the summer after high school. The big
> watermelons came from texas, whole truckloads of them. I'd talk to the
> drivers about how big they were (up to about 40 pounds), and they said
> they didn't even bother to load the big ones onto the trucks, they would
> have split from their own weight in transit.
>

Typical Texas brag -- "You think these are big, you should see the ones
we left at home. They're too big to move."

A watermelon is at least 90 percent water. A cubic foot of water weighs
a little over 62 pounds. So a 40 pound watermelon would be about 2/3 of
a cubic foot or a sphere with a diameter of about 13". Nowhere near
Volkswagen size.

The old-time Black Diamond variety *averages* about 40 pounds each and
can easily grow as large as 75 pounds. As a kid, I used to see them for
sale sometimes at roadside stands, floating low in a tank of ice water.
Incredibly good on a scorching hot summer day.

On Tue, 24 Aug 2010 18:08:28 -0700, Ranee at Arabian Knits
> wrote:

> A 40 pound watermelon isn't all that big, really. Maybe two/two and
> a half feet long.

I guess a family as big as yours would make short work of it, but
something that big would still be here next year at my house.

--

Never trust a dog to watch your food.

On Tue, 24 Aug 2010 22:53:13 -0700, Ranee at Arabian Knits
> wrote:

> In article >,
> sf > wrote:
>
> > On Tue, 24 Aug 2010 18:08:28 -0700, Ranee at Arabian Knits
> > > wrote:
> >
> > > A 40 pound watermelon isn't all that big, really. Maybe two/two and
> > > a half feet long.
> >
> > I guess a family as big as yours would make short work of it, but
> > something that big would still be here next year at my house.
>
> It takes us two or three days to eat it all. :-)
>

OK, I feel better now!

--

Never trust a dog to watch your food.

>
> The old-time Black Diamond variety *averages* about 40 pounds each and
> can easily grow as large as 75 pounds. As a kid, I used to see them for
> sale sometimes at roadside stands, floating low in a tank of ice water.
> Incredibly good on a scorching hot summer day.- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -


It really is refreshing. I buy quarters pre-cut and then cut them up
and refrigerate. One quarter will last me about 4-5 days or so. If
the cubes are really chilled well, it's just like eating sherbet. My
only complaint is I wish the "seedless" ones were truly seedless
instead of having those white un-developed seeds.

N.

>> Dan Abel > wrote:
>>>
>>> I worked in a produce warehouse the summer after high school. The
>>> big watermelons came from texas, whole truckloads of them. I'd
>>> talk to the drivers about how big they were (up to about 40
>>> pounds), and they said they didn't even bother to load the big
>>> ones
>>> onto the trucks, they would have split from their own weight in
>>> transit.

Now, wouldn't you know they'd come from Texas?
<G>