MAKE THIS... tomato & watermelon savory salad

     There are recipes I have had in my files for years.  I am always tearing out, writing down, or copying somehow, anything that sounds good to me.  This was one of those recipes.  But whenever I ran across it, while rifling through my files, the ingredients were out-of-season.  The stars were aligned this week when I pulled the recipe and had both August garden tomatoes and watermelon in my kitchen.
     I am crazy for this salad!  I served it with grilled chicken paillards, a potato salad with grainy mustard and sopressata, and green beans.  If you'll be having a barbecue over the upcoming holiday weekend, MAKE THIS!

     I'll be doing a little traveling the next two weeks; getting away to celebrate our (40th!) wedding anniversary (yes, I was very young when I got married).  And, I will also be visiting my family in Ohio.  It's been quite a while since I've spent time with Antique-of-the-Week Susan, and I have yet to see the historical property, The Willow Tree, that my nephew has been renovating.  Postings will most likely be few and far between the first half of September, but I will have my camera along, and plan to photograph The Willow Tree inside and out.  A wedding is scheduled there during our visit, so I might also get a few photos of the event preparations.  It will be a nice break from all of the projects and deadlines I've created for myself prior to my daughter's November wedding.  Have a great weekend!
   

          Tomato & Watermelon Savory Salad
              recipe by Bill Smith | SAVEUR Magazine • September 2008

• 1/4 cup champagne vinegar or white wine vinegar
• 3 teaspoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
• a 4 pound seedless watermelon
• 1 1/2 pounds beefsteak tomatoes (I used Purple Cherokee and an heirloom cherry tomato)
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
     In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, sugar, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, and cayenne.  Quarter and thinly slice half of a small red onion.  Toss it with the vinegar mixture and set aside to rest for about 30 minutes; this will help to soften the onion.  Cut the flesh of the watermelon into 1-inch cubes and transfer to a large bowl.  Core the tomatoes and cut into 1-inch cubes; add tomatoes to the watermelon.  Right before you plan to serve the salad, pour the vinegar mixture over the watermelon and tomatoes, along with the olive oil.  Season with addition kosher salt, if needed, and freshly ground black pepper. 

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