In the Kitchen with Sigona’s Featuring Melons

Summertime is melon time, so grab a sweet-smelling honeydew or cantaloupe from Sigona’s today and get ready for an explosion of sugary flavors!

Sweet Local Orange flesh Honeydew with a Drizzle of Reduced Balsamic

I really like this 2 minute recipe on a hot day. It’s quick, easy and refreshing. I really like to serve the melon chilled.

Ingredients

• ½ orange flesh honeydew cut into wedges
• ¼ cup balsamic
• 3 sprigs of mint

Directions

• Slice melon wedges and arrange on a plate
• In a medium size sauce pan, gently reduce balsamic over medium-low heat by half (This takes several minutes or less.)
• Remove from heat and cool
• Drizzle over melon
• With scissors, cut very thin strips of mint over the melons
• Garnish with remaining mint and serve

Local Melon Red Wine

This little desert reminds me so much of my grandfather. He made his wine with a blend of 90% Lodi old vine zinfandel and 10 % Muscat. There was always fruit after dinner. This is one of the simple ways we enjoyed fresh fruit.

Ingredients

• Any type of in-season local melon cut into cubes
  • If you want to get fancy, scoop out balls with a melon baller
• Wine in a glass. We have two wines in particular that go very well and remind me of my grandfather:
  • Regio Zinfandel: A wonderful old-vine Zin from, you guessed it, Lodi. This wine is priced right for everyday drinking and has nice fruity notes with mild tannins.
  • Rare Red: A 4 blend of Tempranillo, Petite Sirah, Cabenet and Petite Verdot. It’s light and fruity but has body.

Directions

• Pour your desired wine into a glass
• Add choice of fruit
• Enjoy!

Prosciutto and Melon Salad with a Drizzle of Balsamic Syrup

Not only will this salad taste amazing, but the reduction of the balsamic will have your house smelling amazing. Recipe adapted from Food Network.

Ingredients

• 12 wedges of fresh honeydew melon, about 1 1/2 inches thick
• Salt and pepper
• 8 thin slices of Prosciutto di Parma
• 4 cups of wild arugula, washed, stemmed and patted dry
• Drizzle of Sigona’s Chilean Koroneiki extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 ounce pieces of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
• 1/4 cup reduced balsamic, recipe follows

Directions

Season the melon with salt and pepper. Wrap two pieces of prosciutto around each wedge of melon. In a mixing bowl, toss the greens with olive oil, salt and pepper. Mix thoroughly. Mound the greens in the center of four plates. Arrange three prosciutto wrapped melon around each mound of greens. Shave the cheese over the greens. Drizzle each salad with the reduce balsamic.

• Reduced balsamic
• 3 cups balsamic vinegar

In a medium-saucepan, over medium heat, add the balsamic vinegar. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Simmer until the liquid is reduced to about 1/4 cup, for up to 30 minutes or until syrup-like consistency. Remove from the heat and cool completely. Yield: about 1/4 cup

Cantaloupe, Prosciutto and Arugula Salad with Peach Balsamic

This is one of my personal favorite summer salads that I make all the time. It pairs perfectly with the peach balsamic. Recipe adapted from Food Network.

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup Sigona’s peach balsamic
• 1 tablespoon minced shallot
• 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup Sigona’s Arbequina olive oil
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh herbs, such as basil, chives and parsley
• 1 cantaloupe, peeled seeded and cut into 1/2-inch dice
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion
• 8 thin slices prosciutto, cut into thin strips
• 10 ounces wild arugula, washed and spun dry
• 1 cup roughly chopped toasted sprouted gourmet almonds (On sale right now at Sigona’s)

Directions

In a mixing bowl combine the peach balsamic, shallot, mustard, salt and pepper and whisk to combine. While continuing to whisk the mixture, add Sigona’s Arbequina olive oil in a slow and steady stream.

Combine the Arbequina olive oil in a measuring cup. While continuously whisking the vinegar mixture, add the oil in a slow, steady stream, until completely emulsified. Whisk in the fresh herbs and set aside as you prepare the salad.

In a large bowl, combine the cantaloupe, red onion, prosciutto, wild arugula and sprouted gourmet almonds. Drizzle with 1/2 cup of the vinaigrette and season lightly with salt and pepper. Toss gently to combine; all ingredients should be well coated with the vinaigrette. Serve immediately.