dear Michael, this combination is Turkish as much as Greek. we have been sharing the same geography and a history. the only difference is our salty cheese is not feta but much fattier and in my opinion more delicious “beyaz peynir” white cheese.
as an Istanbulite living in Thessaloniki I can say there are things (foodwise) Greeks excell, like all sorts of fried stuff, cooking fish and seafood properly, but feta is not one of them. I think it is their marketing ability.
A friend of mine in Seattle who worked in kitchens up and down the West Coast gave me an amazing salad a couple weeks ago and I would be remiss if I didn’t share it with you all.
I like it on spinach, baby greens are great also, to each is own concerning the choice of “leaves” as my god granddaughter calls salad.
Barbecue the shrimp, skillet roasted English walnuts, jicama, and strawberries. A lot of dressings would be fine but a nice lemon infused balsamic vinaigrette perfection. Crazily enough, it’s a shrimp and strawberries didn’t really go together for me. Of course they go with every other thing together just did not like my mind pallet.
I have a question for my fellow foodies. Is there such a thing as a liquid char? Not liquid smoke.
When I had it at his restaurant, it definitely had a perfect sense of charcoal zero greediness obviously I’m wondering if there wasn’t an oil that had been saturated with real grill cracklings, then strained. It added a depth to the entire dish that is good night beyond my description
I will take your word on this combination and one that everyone else seems have discovered (at least here in the USA) in recent years (interestingly never saw it in Turkiye though). Allergic to all melons, now lactose intolerant, and also allergic (epi-pen level) to pumpkin(pine nuts are still good!). Out of the three I miss the dairy.
In MY village, I shall be using ricotta salata, only because I don’t think I’ll be able to find feta. The addition of pine nuts/pumpkin seeds is 👌Also happy for your announcement, as I was worried you might say you DONE with this whole newsletter thing. Love your work (as you know)
Not at all in my opinion. It's just that I worked in a very upscale Greek Estiatorio for years and from time to time I would be asked if we had bleu cheese-stuffed olives. At some point, I got really tired of this and started telling these rubes, "I'm sorry sir/madam, but this is a Greek restaurant. We respect the olive here!"
In my village...we use halloumi. :) It is THE summer food. There is always a box of chunked watermelon in the fridge, and Cypriot halloumi is traditionally always goat or sheep milk based. Small island that we are, we tend not to have grazing room for cows. :)
Your work is worth paying for. Glad I was timely. And watermelon: life is richer with it. Feta makes much more sense than salt! (Whoever came up with the idea of salting melon raises my blood pressure just by suggesting it).
Oh thank gods I thought you were going to do something drastic. Am I ever relieved! My subscription to your Substack is truly my favorite, and the competition isn’t peanuts. Glad you’re doing this - your work is valued here.
I've got a clean bill of health from the cardiology team at CPMC last month, if I were Trump's VP pick it would be so much easier for me to obtain the polonium I'd want to add to his Diet Coke, and I tried not writing and that was TERRIBLE.
And, Mary Kay, if you are truly worried about coming off dramatic to a half-Sicilian gay man, I want to assure you it's a thing I can handle.
The watermelon and feta thing. Surely unto God this is not beyond me. I am so excited! Me! To make food instead of ordering it! You're better than 10,000 therapists.
Uh oh. I'm not sure what the heck kind of feta cheese Amazon Fresh just delivered. Well, either it'll be tasty, or it'll be entertaining :-) - thank you, Hudson.
I’m not sure if you’ve ever heard of rule 34, but my rule 35 is if there’s something nice and classic and exquisite in the world, America will rip it off and convince people Lee ridiculous and unequivocal comparison is the same as the original. Rule 35
And I thought I have let a blessed, charmed life. You are unaware of the industrial food complex and it’s toxic from input to product dynamic. Only 90% of the food consumed in America. I didn’t go to your bio. I know, the sin of sins, but anyway, hopefully you’re lucky enough not to be in America. I don’t care if you’re American, but with any luck you’re not trapped here. coming back after decades in first world countries is harsh it to Missouri in the last. Trust me, far more cows milk theater in Missouri than sheep.
Crisp chilled chunks of watermelon are my favorite snack, I've never tried adding anything to it because I've always considered it perfect as is, until I got one that tasted like cucumber! Perhaps adding these items could have saved it?! I added it to salads, as if it were cucumber, but definitely felt cheated. Best wishes!
One of the best summer salads. Even though it has no tomatoes. (I am very fond of tomatoes.)
And you are a very good writer.
Thank you, Amy!
dear Michael, this combination is Turkish as much as Greek. we have been sharing the same geography and a history. the only difference is our salty cheese is not feta but much fattier and in my opinion more delicious “beyaz peynir” white cheese.
as an Istanbulite living in Thessaloniki I can say there are things (foodwise) Greeks excell, like all sorts of fried stuff, cooking fish and seafood properly, but feta is not one of them. I think it is their marketing ability.
I would absolutely love to try this with beyaz peynir!
Sir Michael
A friend of mine in Seattle who worked in kitchens up and down the West Coast gave me an amazing salad a couple weeks ago and I would be remiss if I didn’t share it with you all.
I like it on spinach, baby greens are great also, to each is own concerning the choice of “leaves” as my god granddaughter calls salad.
Barbecue the shrimp, skillet roasted English walnuts, jicama, and strawberries. A lot of dressings would be fine but a nice lemon infused balsamic vinaigrette perfection. Crazily enough, it’s a shrimp and strawberries didn’t really go together for me. Of course they go with every other thing together just did not like my mind pallet.
I have a question for my fellow foodies. Is there such a thing as a liquid char? Not liquid smoke.
When I had it at his restaurant, it definitely had a perfect sense of charcoal zero greediness obviously I’m wondering if there wasn’t an oil that had been saturated with real grill cracklings, then strained. It added a depth to the entire dish that is good night beyond my description
I've never heard of such a thing, but the salad sounds delicious.
I’m going to attempt to create it. It was the perfect char flavor with absolutely zero grit! 🤣
I will take your word on this combination and one that everyone else seems have discovered (at least here in the USA) in recent years (interestingly never saw it in Turkiye though). Allergic to all melons, now lactose intolerant, and also allergic (epi-pen level) to pumpkin(pine nuts are still good!). Out of the three I miss the dairy.
Oh wow. This must have been a particularly difficult salad for you to read about.
Ooo, I love that combination between sweet melon and tangy, salty cheese.
It's a big hit in my household. As I am the only one living in said household, I speak with authority.
Can one ever go wrong with sweet and salty? 😉
I like you. I can relate. It’s hard to be the smartest guy in the room….😉🙈
😂
In MY village, I shall be using ricotta salata, only because I don’t think I’ll be able to find feta. The addition of pine nuts/pumpkin seeds is 👌Also happy for your announcement, as I was worried you might say you DONE with this whole newsletter thing. Love your work (as you know)
I think ricotta salata is an excellent addition. Very.
And I feel awful that I may have caused alarm regarding my announcement of an announcement. You are definitely not the only reader who was worried!
And you know my grand feelings for your work, too, I hope!
Happy to subscribe when the checking account gets filled back up in a week.
Thank you! That means a lot.
I hope it wasn’t sacrilege to stuff my olives with a garlic clove?
Not at all in my opinion. It's just that I worked in a very upscale Greek Estiatorio for years and from time to time I would be asked if we had bleu cheese-stuffed olives. At some point, I got really tired of this and started telling these rubes, "I'm sorry sir/madam, but this is a Greek restaurant. We respect the olive here!"
Americans should be accompanied by an adult….
Good timing for this recipe! I am making it today.
This makes me happy!
In my village...we use halloumi. :) It is THE summer food. There is always a box of chunked watermelon in the fridge, and Cypriot halloumi is traditionally always goat or sheep milk based. Small island that we are, we tend not to have grazing room for cows. :)
Oh I love me a squeaky cheese. Also, I am currently reading Bitter Lemons by Lawrence Durrell so Cyprus is on my mind.
Your work is worth paying for. Glad I was timely. And watermelon: life is richer with it. Feta makes much more sense than salt! (Whoever came up with the idea of salting melon raises my blood pressure just by suggesting it).
Thank you for the kindness, N.D. Feta is a much more elegant (or at least delicious) way to add salt than merely adding salt, right?
Oh thank gods I thought you were going to do something drastic. Am I ever relieved! My subscription to your Substack is truly my favorite, and the competition isn’t peanuts. Glad you’re doing this - your work is valued here.
Agreed!
...is Michael sick!?!
...did Trump ask him to be VP?!?
...will he NOT be writing anymore!!!???
...horrors all, when did I become so dramatic?
My app indicates it happened precisely at 03:28. lol
I've got a clean bill of health from the cardiology team at CPMC last month, if I were Trump's VP pick it would be so much easier for me to obtain the polonium I'd want to add to his Diet Coke, and I tried not writing and that was TERRIBLE.
And, Mary Kay, if you are truly worried about coming off dramatic to a half-Sicilian gay man, I want to assure you it's a thing I can handle.
THANK YOU.
Oh my - Michael, this is the one!
Thank you, but which one? Please forgive me, but I have just had a large martini because the world is ending.
You’re still making sense. Quick! Another!
🤣🙃🤪💪
Twist my arm, John, twist my arm.
Still making sense… Come on up, I’ll pour.
The watermelon and feta thing. Surely unto God this is not beyond me. I am so excited! Me! To make food instead of ordering it! You're better than 10,000 therapists.
I DID IT I DID IT!!!! And it was delicious. Even my husband loved it.
I just knew you could do it!
Just make sure and use sheep’s milk Feta!
Otherwise, there’s some reaction between the cows milk and the watermelon, it’s like dropping skittles…..into a bottle of soda.
/s
Uh oh. I'm not sure what the heck kind of feta cheese Amazon Fresh just delivered. Well, either it'll be tasty, or it'll be entertaining :-) - thank you, Hudson.
Even the mess will be delicious. 🤪
🫵💪🙏
Just don the rain suit and go for it!!!
I've never even considered cow's milk feta. I honestly wasn't even aware of its existence, but this is very, very good information to have! Thank you.
I’m not sure if you’ve ever heard of rule 34, but my rule 35 is if there’s something nice and classic and exquisite in the world, America will rip it off and convince people Lee ridiculous and unequivocal comparison is the same as the original. Rule 35
And I thought I have let a blessed, charmed life. You are unaware of the industrial food complex and it’s toxic from input to product dynamic. Only 90% of the food consumed in America. I didn’t go to your bio. I know, the sin of sins, but anyway, hopefully you’re lucky enough not to be in America. I don’t care if you’re American, but with any luck you’re not trapped here. coming back after decades in first world countries is harsh it to Missouri in the last. Trust me, far more cows milk theater in Missouri than sheep.
Hudson, I haven't even had my first (fair trade) cocktail of the evening yet!
I'm going to quote you tomorrow morning when I see my therapist and use this as a bargaining chip.
Crisp chilled chunks of watermelon are my favorite snack, I've never tried adding anything to it because I've always considered it perfect as is, until I got one that tasted like cucumber! Perhaps adding these items could have saved it?! I added it to salads, as if it were cucumber, but definitely felt cheated. Best wishes!
Well honestly, I'd hate for you to mess with perfection, but I promise it's a really excellent thing should you decide to take a chance.
I already had plans to make this for July 4!
Great minds...
Now I’m thinking I probably first encountered it at Shannon’s. It’s become my perennial summer party dish.
If you encountered it at Shannon's, it definitely originated from me!
Thank you!
(Giving full credit to the Greeks, of course.)