Bring on Summer Salad, Orangetti Squash, a Safer Kettle for me and more.
Start eating like it's summer already!
A Summer-y Riff on a Wedge Salad
Can you taste summer yet?
To my surprise, my grocery store had “personal size” seedless watermelons on sale last week. Even luckier, the inside was as sweet as finding one on the fourth of July! My desire to bring on summer inspired this recipe, which is like a classic wedge but not.
I subbed pork belly for bacon, feta for the blue cheese, and used my juicy red watermelon in place of chopped tomatoes. Then, I topped it with homemade ranch-style dressing.
Ingredients
· ¼ pound sliced pork belly (though we didn’t use it all; a little goes far because it’s rich and salty)
· 1 wedge of seedless watermelon
· 4 oz. crumbled feta
· ½ small head of iceberg lettuce
· 1 handful of arugula leaves
For the dressing
· ½ C buttermilk
· ½ C mayonnaise
· 1 T lemon juice
· 1 tsp garlic powder
· 1 tsp honey
· 1 T fresh or dried dill
· ¼ t Sriracha pepper sauce
· 1 T chopped parsley
· Kosher salt and pepper
The most time-consuming part of this salad is the pork belly. (Of course, you could substitute bacon!) Pork belly is uncured and comes skin on or skin off. I used skin off. Season it with salt and pepper.
I cooked the pork belly in my toaster oven on a rack with parchment beneath. Go for ten minutes at 400˚˚˚ F, then turn it down to 250˚ F and go another 50 minutes, then check it. Depending on the thickness of your cut, it may need more time. When it’s close to the desired texture, flip and finish at 400˚ F until the top is crispy, maybe another ten minutes. Let cool before cutting into bite-size pieces.
Meanwhile, prepare your salad using the ingredients above, and mix up the dressing. What makes this salad so satisfying is the interplay of sweet and salty. The ranch and watermelon played well together, but I could have also pulled out my classic vinegarette and been very happy.
Orangetti Squash
Right alongside the spaghetti squash in the produce section, I noticed a similar squash of a bolder yellow-orange color, so I nabbed it, wondering if its sticky “Orangetti” label implied some orange flavor.
My typical way to prep a Spaghetti squash is to hack it in halves, scoop out the pumpkin-like innards, then load that crescent hole with butter and/or olive oil and seasoning. I did the same with my Orangetti, finding the rind just a notch easier to cut than its more yellow-skinned cuz, and chose my trusty Honey Aleppo Pepper with Rosemary Lemon flavored salt.
My halved squash bowls barely squeaked into my air fryer/toaster oven, but I gave them a go at 375˚ for an hour. They were perfectly ready to be forked into strands. I warmed a scoop of my Low Country Fresh LCF herb mix (chopped leftover herbs with habaneros) for 45 secs in the microwave. I topped the noodled squash with some ruby-ripe heirloom tomatoes and shaved parmesan—the result is a nutty, sweet, buttery comfort dish that eats like pasta but without the bloated tummy afterward.
No, it wasn’t orange-flavored, but I would class Orangetti as the sultrier cousin to yellow spaghetti squash. Maybe if I can say the name like Italians pronounce spaghetti, it could be a cuddle-at-home date night dish…picture me curling up on the couch with a bowl now, like Rachel Welch.
The Kettle that Forgives Distractions
How often have you put on the kettle or pot of water for tea, then got busy in another room while the water boiled away? Shamefully, my lifetime tally for fried kettles is no less than five. While in quarantine at Peter’s condo, working from home in the upstairs bedroom, I nearly melted a one-quart pot to his electric burner before the smoke alarm finally screamed its alert.
There’s really no salvaging a kettle or pot once it’s been through a near-death experience. The vessel has glimpsed the awe-inspiring light on the other side, and that “forever metallic” taste is its grudge about being back.
So let me introduce you to my electric Fabuletta gooseneck kettle, my new best friend. She politely beeps when reaching the temperature you’ve selected; then if ignored, she turns herself off after an hour. She has seven temperature presets, two for coffee and five for tea so that you can brew your green to a preferred 175˚ F and your Black and Rooibos teas to 212˚ F. Of course, you’ll want to be this fab-uletta now that you can.
A feature of this kettle that initially rebuffed me was its lanky gooseneck spout. In my ignorance, I called it an ugly duckling and clicked away in search of colorful designer kettles. But whoa, Nelly! This skinny neck means no more steam burns, and the water is kept closer to its precise temperature on the journey to your cup.
Because this kettle has its own heating plate, I can take my tea party to my patio, or anywhere there’s an outlet. Game-changer, am I right? If it’s time to upgrade your kettle, you can find one here.
Disclosure: I set up an affiliate link with Amazon so that I might earn a tiny bit for qualifying purchases. A girl must eat, right?
+Two Whiffs of Inspo
If you’ve been following me, you already know I am a fan girl of Alison Roman, and I’ve pointed you to her YouTube channel. Because her new cookbook is out (and flying off the shelves, as I know, as part of her fan club.) I have to share with you this cute recent episode of her with Stephen Colbert!
Alison Roman with Stephen Colbert
I also wanted to share with you a peek at my longer format foodie stories without sending you over to Medium. That meant putting on my uncomfortable techie hat and figuring out how to post them for you right here on Substack.
Love it when technology works with me! This is my deeper dive into the pleasures of grits, Pluff mud, and living the low country life.
Thank you so much
Appreciate all the love and shares of this post! Can’t wait til next week because we are taking one step closer to summer with what you need in that beach basket and a fun story about South Carolina beach music and my former boss.