Fruit of the year 2021 : The watermelon
The watermelon (Citrullus lanatus, synonym: Citrullus vulgaris) is an annual, monoecious plant of the Cucurbitaceae family with large, grey-green lobed leaves. The flowers are unisexual and yellow to white in colour. The fruits, which can vary in weight from 1 to 50 kg depending on the species, contain moist, sweet flesh. The flesh, which is usually red, but can also be white, pink, yellow or orange in colour, contains the seeds. The red flesh contains the highest lycopene content of any fruit consumed raw (if a tomato is cooked, it contains relatively more lycopene).
Watermelons, originating from Mediterranean countries, are dark green in colour and weigh about 2.5 kg. Watermelons from Adana in Turkey are well known for their pink to deep red flesh and very juicy and sweet taste, partly due to the high fertility of the soil in this region. The black pips of the watermelon are not in a cavity like the other melons, but are embedded in the flesh. There are also seedless varieties. From America, elongated watermelons are supplied with a striped skin. There are also varieties with yellow, orange, pink or white flesh. Watermelons consist of 95% water. The thirst-quenching capacity is greatest when the fruit is chilled and eaten pure.
Recipe with watermelon:
Carpaccio of yellow tomatoes, gaspacho of onion & lemon, avocado, black olives and watermelon
For 4 persons
- 2 yellow tomatoes
- 2 sweet onions
- 1 clove of garlic
- juice of ½ lemon
- olive oil
- black pepper from the mill and sea salt
- 1/8 watermelon seedless
- 1 avocado
- 8 kalamati olives stoned
- lemon zest
- 2 sprigs of fresh thyme
Gaspacho : finely chop the onion and garlic, add water, a few drops of olive oil and lemon juice until they are ¾ under. Season with thyme, black pepper from the mill and sea salt. Put away in a cool place for approx. 2 hours. Remove and mix.
Yellow tomatoes: cut very thinly like a carpaccio. Divide over a flat dish or plates.
Garnishes: dice the watermelon, olives and avocado.
Finishing: spoon the gaspacho over the tomato carpaccio. Divide the watermelon, avocado and olive cubes over the preparation. Finish with grated zest of the lemon, fresh thyme and a few drops of olive oil.
The avocado is in. Is it its texture, its beautiful colour, its health benefits or is it its taste that does it! Important is that it is ripe, and then it is a source of many good things, including the creative possibilities on the plate.