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Watermelon Rind Pickles

My memories of the food of my childhood summers include cold poached salmon with mayonnaise and capers for the 4th of July (it's a Cape Cod thing), fresh grilled corn on the cob, and chilled, sweet watermelon. Not only was the latter tasty but it was such fun to eat. As an adult, I was introduced to pickled watermelon rinds from a jar in the pickle section of the grocery store. I loved these too - dense, chewy, and sweet, stored in a thick syrup.

Peter loves the Huffington Post and as part of  it’s "Reclaim" project, HuffPost Taste is focusing on simple ways to reduce waste in our homes for the entire month of July. One suggestion is to make watermelon rind pickles with that part that we usually throw away. They pointed out ever so clearly that we are paying for watermelon by the pound so we should probably find a use for the heaviest part of this fruit. Thus, homemade watermelon rind pickles.

The biggest challenge here is peeling the green from the rind. You must apply pressure to cut into it at the same time you're taking care not to allow the peeler to slip and knick you. Practice will reveal the right technique for you. Watermelon rind pickles are a great addition to any relish tray to accompany sandwiches, hamburgers or just plain cheese but they can also be cut up into smaller pieces and added to salads.

Watermelon Rind Pickles
(3 8-ounce jars)

Rind from a 4-5 pound piece of watermelon (about ¼ of a melon)
2 tablespoons salt
1 cup cider vinegar
1 cup of sugar
1 cup water
1½ tablespoons pickling spices
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• Scoop out the flesh from the watermelon and reserve for eating.
• Peel the green skin off the watermelon with a sharp vegetable peeler and then ⅛-inch more of the lighter green "rind".
• Cut white rind into spears that are about ½-inch side and 2-inches long. (They must be able to stand in an 8-ounce "pickling" jar.)
• Bring a medium saucepan full of water to a boil. Add 1 tablespoon salt. Boil the watermelon rinds for about 4 minutes, until they just begin to turn translucent and become soft when stabbed with a fork. Drain and let cool for handling.
• In a medium saucepan, combine the vinegar, sugar, water, and pickling spices. Bring to a boil, until the sugar has dissolved.
• Place the cooled rinds in the pickling jars, tightly packed. Carefully pour the pickling liquid into each jar, until the liquid nearly reaches the top. Screw the top on the jars and refrigerate for up to 2 weeks. The pickles can be eaten after just a few hours. 

A Beautiful Friendship

Barbara Andolsek and Claudia Ward

"Louis, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship" said Rick (Humphrey Bogart) to Captain Renault (Claude Rains) at the end of the movie "Casablanca" (1942) as they walk off into the fog - one of the most memorable moments in movie history. Rick and Louis were an unlikely pair to become friends - an American expat nightclub owner and a corrupt Vichy official, and yet, they join forces at the end creating a friendship that could make positive things happen.

After I was "retired" from my job in banking in New York, I was encouraged to start this blog and began to follow several others to learn and for enjoyment. Through these channels, I came to know a wonderful painter who lives almost 3, 000 miles away in California, named Barbara Andolsek. (Read the details in the "Someone Painted My Picture!" post.) Barbara and I chatted like pen pals for several years. We've shared our work and lives, reveling in the unlikely friendship that developed solely through the internet. In December 2013, we spent Christmas in southern California and afterwards drove up the coast to San Francisco to celebrate the New Year, on the way stopping just outside Los Angeles to meet Barbara and her husband Tim. What a treat that was for us all, to finally chat face-to-face - you couldn't shut either of us up! And here we are now another three years later, still sharing and caring, despite the distance between us.

This "unlikely pairing" between Barbara and me has also been serendipitous and productive. Over the six years that we've known each other, Barbara has used twenty of my images as the basis for twenty of her paintings. Being one who always wanted to paint but couldn't, I love seeing Barbara's paintings ... they fill me with immense satisfaction and joy. Recently, I created a slide show of my photos and her paintings for us to keep, and we agreed that I would share it here as well. We feel so fortunate to have this "beautiful friendship" and hope you enjoy the show.

 

Photos & Slide Show by Claudia Ward
Paintings by Barbara Andolsek
Music: "Friendship" from "Anything Goes" - Piper Tracks

 

"At Sea" at The White Room Gallery

Wave Squares by Claudia Ward at The White Room Gallery

Most of you probably recall that I became a contributing member in The White Room Gallery in Bridgehampton this year and had my first featured show in June (June 7- 26). I've been so busy that I haven't had a chance to share any of that experience with you. Titled "At Sea" the opening reception was Saturday June 11 and showed the works of three photographers (E.J. Camp, Michele Dragonetti, and me) and one painter (Jill Krutick). The reception was well attended and it was a real thrill to hear such enthusiasm for all our work. I thought I would share with you a brief slide show of what the exhibition looked like in The White Room. 

 

Photos & Slide Show © 2016 Claudia Ward
Music: The Doge's Decree from the original score of "Casanova" by Alexandre Desalt

 

Joyeux 14 Juillet!

BONNE FÊTE NATIONALE! 
Photograph watermarked A.G. Photographe  and "borrowed" from My French Neighbor

Awesome photograph A.G. Photographe! Thanks for sharing with the world.

 

Le quatorze  juillet, a.k.a. la fête national, is "national day" in France - a day spent celebrating French culture. Outside of France, outlanders often refer to this day as "Bastille Day" because this was the day in 1789 when revolutionaries stormed this formidable prison and it became the symbol of the French revolution. However, if you wish someone happy "le jour de la Bastille" (Bastille Day) when in France, they will likely be dumbfounded or may not even understand what you are talking about.

Parades, city meals, music, dancing and fireworks are just some of the festivities enjoyed by the French on this day. 

Joyeux 14 juillet à tous!

 

 

Quinoa Tabbouleh with or without Feta

A longtime friend came to visit over the 4th and, always trying to be a gracious hostess, I wanted to make some fun dishes for us all to enjoy. The challenge? She became a vegan several years ago which eliminated all meat (including poultry and fish, for the most part) and all dairy (including butter and eggs, for the most part). However, she did say she would eat fresh, local fish caught that day, and would also allow a little Parmesan in a dish. She also knew I had my heart set on making a blueberry crostata and conceded that butter is always a part of a really good pastry crust.

For days before her arrival, I combed all of my cookbooks trying to find recipes that would provide a variety of flavors, textures, and colors. Knowing that quinoa is considered a "superfood" because it has more protein than most grains, I wanted to find a recipe full of flavor and I did. Reading this recipe, I thought it would be quite dull but, in fact, it's quite the opposite. All those herbs 2 cups to be exact, one of chopped mint and the other of chopped parsley, make this a salad packed with flavor, and the quinoa, cucumbers and scallions add their crunch. This is going to be my "go to" salad recipe for any gathering this summer.

Quinoa Tabbouleh with or without Feta
(Serves 8)

1 cup quinoa
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons)
¼ cup good olive oil
1 cup thinly sliced scallions, white and green parts (5 scallions)
1 cup chopped fresh mint leaves (2 bunches)
1 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 hothouse cucumber, unpeeled, seeded, and medium-diced
2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved through the stem
2 cups medium-diced feta (8 ounces)
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• Pour 2 cups of water into a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Add the quinoa and 1 teaspoon of salt, lower the heat, and simmer covered for 15 minutes, until the grains are tender and open (they'll have little curly tails).
• Drain, place in a bowl, and immediately add the lemon juice, olive oil, and 1½  teaspoons of salt.
• In a large bowl, combine the scallions, mint, parsley, cucumber, tomatoes, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper.
• Add the quinoa and mix well.
• Carefully fold in the feta (if using) and taste for seasonings. Serve at room temperature or refrigerate and serve cold.

 Thank goodness for Ina Garten and Make It Ahead.

 

Happy 4th!!!

Happy 4th of July everyone!