Watermelon 3 ways: recipes from the Cyclades

If I had to pick one fruit that takes me back to my childhood summers in Greece, this would undoubtedly be the watermelon (καρπούζι/karpouzi). During July and August, the hottest months of the year, there would always be a huge bowl with freshly cut watermelon on the table at the end of each and every family meal. The same happened when we dined out; watermelon would always be served there too. In the afternoons, I remember waking up from my nap only to find that my grandmother had prepared a slice of watermelon served with some feta cheese. Perhaps because it is ubiquitous during the summer in Greece, perhaps because when served in taverns, it is always complimentary, I’d never really thought too much about watermelon. Until I moved to the UK, and started missing the clear-blue skies, the crystalline waters, the heat, and this large oval red-fleshed refreshing fruit.

 

 

I recently discovered that watermelon could be far more exciting than I’d previously thought. Let me explain: a few years ago, I went on an island-hopping island to the Cyclades. When I visited the cosmopolitan island of Mykonos, I had my first taste of a watermelon and feta salad at the restaurant ‘Lucky Fish’. It simply tasted of summer. The sweetness of the watermelon gave such a lift to the saltiness of the feta, the star ingredient of the world-famous Greek salad. Then, when I visited the lesser-known Folegandros, I came across a dessert called watermelon pie (καρπουζόπιτα or καρπουζένια/karpouzopita or karpouzenia).

 

 

Upon my return home, I set out to re-create these two wonderful refreshing dishes. Inspired by the Spanish gazpacho, I also combined watermelon with feta cheese in a soup and came up with my very own Greek take on this lovely Mediterranean summery soup.

 

Watermelon and feta gazpacho soup

 

 

Ingredients:

 

1. 400 grams watermelon chunks (I tend to buy them already cut)
2. 200 grams cherry tomatoes
3. Half a cucumber, peeled and chopped
4. 1 tablespoon extra-virgin Greek olive oil
5. 1 teaspoon lemon or lime juice
6. 100 grams feta cheese, crumbled
7. Croutons

 

Makes 2 servings

 

Method:

 

Blend all the ingredients except for the feta cheese in a food processor, until smooth. Place in a bowl, and refrigerate for at least an hour. Serve in a bowl, then pour over the crumbled feta cheese and a few croutons.

 

Mykonos-inspired watermelon and feta salad

 

 

Ingredients:

 

1. 200 grams iceberg lettuce
2. 200 grams watermelon chunks (I tend to buy them already cut)
3. 7-10 cherry tomatoes
4. 100 grams feta cheese, crumbled
5. Extra-virgin Greek olive oil, for the dressing
6. Balsamic cream (I prefer the orange and lemon, fig, and pomegranate balsamic creams by Kalamata Papadimitriou), for the dressing

 

Method:

 

Place the iceberg lettuce in a large salad bowl. Dress with extra-virgin Greek olive oil and balsamic cream. Add the watermelon chunks and the cherry tomatoes. Crumble the feta cheese and pour it over the salad. Stir gently to integrate the ingredients.

 

Folegandros-inspired watermelon pie

 

 

Ingredients:

 

1. 500 grams watermelon (flesh)
2. 110 grams flour
3. 50 grams extra-virgin Greek olive oil (plus extra to brush the baking pan)
4. 75 grams honey (plus some extra to drizzle over the pie)
5. 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
6. 3 tablespoons sesame seeds
7. 2 tablespoons fine semolina

 

Makes 4 (generous) servings

 

Method:

 

1. If you’ve bought a whole watermelon, remove the rind and cut into small square pieces.
2. Remove the seeds, if any.
3. Put the watermelon pieces into a strainer, and let them strain for about an hour.
4. Preheat the oven to 180 C (160 C) fan.
5. In a bowl, combine the watermelon pieces, the flour, olive oil, honey, cinnamon and 1 tablespoon sesame seeds.
6. Brush a 6×6 in (15×15 cm) square baking pan.
7. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon semolina and 1 tablespoon sesame seeds.
8. Spread the watermelon mixture in the baking pan.
9. Sprinkle with the remaining semolina and sesame seeds.
10. Bake for about an hour.
11. Then, remove from the oven and set aside to cool.
12. Drizzle with some honey.

 

Enjoy it with vanilla ice-cream!

 

Kali Orexi! Bon Appétit!

 

 

Further reading on Greek cooking & baking

 

If you enjoyed my watermelon pie recipe, check out my orange pie recipe, inspired from my visit to the island of Amorgos.

 

You can also check out my gluten- & guilt-free clementine (mandarin) cake recipe.

 

Featuring hundreds of recipes from all over Greece, Vefa Alexiadou’s Greece: The Cookbook is simply the bible of Greek cuisine.

 

Akis Petretzikis’ recipes are simple to make yet delicious to taste. His excellent website features hundreds of recipes and videos too.

 

For something a bit more exotic, check out my Caribbean-inspired fruit bread recipes.

 

 

Further reading on traveling to the Greek islands

 

To read my tips about the islands of Mykonos and Folegandros, check out my posts ‘Mykonos: top 7 tips by an (almost) local‘ and ‘Folegandros: the secret alternative to Santorini‘.

 

If you’d like to read my tips about other Greek islands, check out my post ‘9+1 Greek islands to visit this summer‘.

 

If you’d like to visit the Cyclades, you can follow one of my two itineraries: Santorini-Amorgos-Koufonisia-Mykonos or Serifos-Sifnos-Folegandros-Santorini.

 

To follow my travels around the world, simply subscribe to the Traveling Psychiatrist (subscription button on the left-hand side).

 

My e-book ‘Greek Islands: Top tips by an (almost) local’ is available for FREE for every new subscription (for a LIMITED TIME ONLY).

 

Alex

 

(the Traveling Psychiatrist)