The madness of summer heat is upon us and I’m craving simplicity. This is the time of year to make like a chef – embrace the simplicity, and allow the ingredients to speak for themselves. Which isn’t always as easy as it sounds. That’s because simplicity is complicated. Easy may seem like the simplest choice, but true simplicity is rarely easy. Does that make sense? Let me try it this way. Confucius said, “Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated.” Which sounds profound, but I think he was just sharing the cooking notes for his own Cantaloupe Salad.
Which I can relate to.
Cantaloupe Salad with Cucumbers and Pancetta
My original intention was to keep this Cantaloupe Salad very simple. I was going to take shards of cantaloupe and slices of cucumber and toss them with tarragon and vinegar and be done with it. Then I started thinking about tarragon and vinegar. They taste great together but have you ever noticed what happens to tarragon when it comes in contact with a strong acid? It turns black and slimy. Which may be simple, but it wasn’t something I could embrace. So decided to add just one more step to my simple cantaloupe salad. I infused the vinegar with fresh tarragon and tossed the leaves once they got slimy. Simple, right?
However, in the course of my prep work for this salad, I tasted my super sweet summer cantaloupe and realized all those honey notes were going to need some balance. I still had a block of feta leftover from the Baked Feta I made earlier in the week… I’m sure you’ve noticed how simple it is to crumble feta.
After that, it didn’t take long for me to notice a package of forgotten pancetta in my refrigerator and suddenly I recalled reading about a salad recipe that drizzled hot pancetta oil on cold cucumbers. Doesn’t that sound good? I’d already planned on cucumbers for my simple salad. How hard would it be to drizzle my Cantaloupe Salad with hot pancetta and tarragon-infused cider vinaigrette?
Need I go on? We’ve all been there… GREG
What a great simple salad , perfect for the hot weather.
“Confucius said, “Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated.” Which sounds profound, but I think he was just sharing the cooking notes for his own Cantaloupe Salad.”
—Greg Henry
“Hahaha!”
—Adair Seldon
Now that you’ve kindly done all the R&D for us, it is indeed “simple”! But you raise a good point, I am my own worst enemy in the kitchen, always adding just one more thing, be it a recipe or a menu. And although it’s usually pretty good, it is always a recipe for exhaustion!
I never knew tarragon turns black and slimy in vinegar, you know I’m going to have to try it. I love the flavour and pairing it with the melon, cucumber, pancetta and feta sounds mouth watering. I’ve a dear friend coming for dinner tomorrow night, this will be a perfect accompaniment to our Mediterranean pork tenderloin! Thanks Greg, hope your heat-wave breaks soon. XO
I did make this salad and my tarragon did not go slimy and black, but I did discard it and added fresh just before serving the salad. We ate this outside on a hot and humid day and it was so refreshing and, I might add, a rather surprising flavour combination. Bottom line, we all loved it and it will go into my regular summer repertoire. Thanks Greg.
I am in Switzerland and they are having their hottest summer ever. Maybe I can make this delicious looking salad for my friend this week.
it has been an incredible melon summer, hasn’t it? And cucumbers are officially melons, too, aren’t they? Perfect combination!
I love everything about this salad–the sweet, the salty, everything!
wow. Love it. The prosciutto and feta add some saltiness as well, to help show off the melon. Just beautiful. How did I miss your baked feta??
We made the baked feta over the weekend, Mimi — absolutely incredible!
Simple or complicated, I LOVE this delicious combination of beautiful flavors.
I like to cook simple too, although in my case it’s probably more accurate to call it simple-minded. 🙂 Anyway, this looks fabulous! We’ve been eating salads all summer (it’s been HOT here) and are always looking for new ideas. This looks wonderful — thanks.
Maybe we should call this a simple-inspired salad. I’ve never had cantaloupe used in this way, and even the idea of cucumber and pancetta oil has me drooling. You’re amazingly creative.
I totally relate to this post, Greg! 🙂 And your cantaloupe salad looks so refreshing and gorgeous. 🙂
If only life was so simple! But I love where this salad went! And also given that I have all ingredients at this moment, well, that is true simplicity!
How refreshing and perfect for this crazy LA heat!