Simple Cooking Ideas

It’s time to spring into the salad season, and a good way to go is with Mediterranean flavors. They’ve taken root in this country and small wonder — ingredients like olive oil, garlic, grains, seafood and fresh tomatoes just seem to belong together. Marinating and grilling are among the Mediterranean techniques that deliver delightful dishes, including interesting salads with a touch of sophistication.

Americans love fresh tomatoes in salads, so it’s fortunate fresh tomatoes from Florida are at the peak of their season right now. Incorporating them into Mediterranean-style salads seems appropriate because, of course, tomatoes were originally from the Americas.

Following their introduction to Europeans by New World explorers, tomatoes gradually won acceptance and today, fresh tomatoes are a staple in the Italian diet. Quite often they’re paired with pasta. In this case, cheese tortellini get together with tangy-sweet tomatoes, fresh greens and peas to make a salad that’s great on its own, on a buffet table or as a side for grilled salmon or steak.
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Here is another recipe using watermelon skin. Keep the skin of the watermelon and do not throw away. You keep it in the refrigerator for a day or two if u do not have the time to prepare the dish on time.

Ingredients:

300 gm watermelon skin
2 fried ikan kembong (mackeral)
2 fresh chillies
6 shallots
1/2 teaspoon belacan (shrimp paste)
salt to taste

Method:

Scrape the green portion of watermelon as near the skin as possible. Soak it in water and drain well before use.

Pound chillies with two shallots and belacan. Slice the remaining shallots. Shred ikan kembong.

In a bowl, mix all the ingredients together. Mix thoroughly and add salt to taste. Serve with rice.