South African Watermelon Salad

28 hour trip door to door to get back to the family for Christmas = bad start to the holidays. Diagnosis of bronchitis upon arrival = extremely bad start.

Yes, after many snow-delayed hours, I finally made it to Durban, Kwazulu-Natal, South African east coast. After a course of antibiotics, my appetite came back with a vengeance, meaning I could tuck into the national dish: Braai. I could also start prepping re my contribution to the annual Christmas shindig. This year, salads were on my list, and I went for a festive looking Green Bean Salad With Yogurt Dressing & Pomegranate Seeds, and a [locally] seasonal Watermelon & Feta Salad.

I can report that the watermelon went down a storm. The green beans, not so much. Seems South Africa isn't quite ready for a garlic, cinnamon and blanched legumes combo. So here's the step by step to creating your own melon magic:

Watermelon & Feta Salad
Quarter watermelon, de-seeded and chopped into chunks
250g feta, cubed
2 celery stalks, chopped finely
10 kalamata olives, de-pipped and sliced finely
10-12 mint leaves, chopped finely

Dressing:
3 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tbsp red wine vinegar
1-2 tsp Dijon mustard
Salt & freshly ground pepper

Instructions:
Pile up the watermelon, feta, mint, celery and olives.
Mix the dressing, seasoning to taste as you go.
Drizzle the dressing over the salad just before serving.