Ljubenica

I had a watermelon and feta salad at Watts grocery a couple of summers ago, and really enjoyed it. The ljubenica (watermelons) are in season here now, and I've been having a slice with breakfast every morning. Born in Africa, introduced to Europe by the Moors in the 13th century, according to Wikipedia, they are sweeter than the Harris Teeter variety, with more seeds.

Last night, I decided to try a similar take on pasta salad. I cooked some tortellini*  and when it was done, ran it under cold water and put it in the fridge. Then I crumbled some blue cheese into a bowl, and added a couple of slices of watermelon, cut into cubes, seeds removed. I mixed a little olive oil and red wine vinegar together, and then tossed it with the pasta, fruit and cheese. Sprinkled some salt and pepper on top, and put it back in the fridge for about 20 minutes.

The saltiness of the blue cheese blends very nicely with the sweetness of the watermelon and the acidity of the vinegar. I wish I had my herb garden at hand, as I would have liked to sprinkle some chopped fresh mint over it, but I'm not complaining. I'm looking forward to my lunch of leftovers. I bet it's even better today.

* My tortellini was stuffed with prosciutto. I don't think cheese tortellini would complement the blue cheese. I'd probably use something like rotini next time, but this is what I had.