Elisabetta's Summer Cantaloupe Salad

Cantaloupe is one of the nicer and more versatile summer fruits, because it works very well with savory accompaniments too, especially prosciutto (as an antipasto). But it also works well in salad, and this cantaloupe salad is one of Wife Elisabetta's favorite quick summer dishes. To serve 4:

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 2 minutes

Ingredients:

• 6 cups (a bowl) shredded baby spinach or the lettuce you prefer
• Half a cantaloupe, seeded, peeled, and diced
• 1/2 cup pine nuts (pinoli), toasted
• 1/4 pound (100 g) feta cheese, crumbled
• Salt, balsamic vinegar and olive oil to taste

Preparation:

Begin by rinsing your salad greens, draining them well, and putting them in a salad bowl.

Put the pine nuts in a small non-stick skillet and heat them over a medium flame, shaking the skillet about to color them on all sides. When they are a pale leathery brown (do not overbrown them or they will become bitter) sprinkle them over the greens. Add the cantaloupe and the feta, season your salad to taste with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and salt (Italians usually do not add ground pepper to salads), toss the salad, and it's ready.

Variations:
A mozzarella, diced, is a nice addition.
You could also use ripe nectarines, peaches, or tart plums instead of cantaloupe.
If you do not have pine nuts, crumbled, gently toasted walnuts will also be good here.

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