clock: Chef and author Melba Wilson makes a Mandarin Chicken Salad
With summer in full swing, Bay Area-based chef and restaurateur David Neifeld appeared on “Good Morning America” with some easy recipes to help home cooks make the most of the season’s bounty and enjoy fresh ingredients even more.
The owners of Che Fico, a popular Italian restaurant in San Francisco’s NOPA neighborhood, constantly change their menu based on seasonal ingredients available from their close network of farmers and distributors.
From bubbly drinks and fruity desserts to simple yet decadent salads, check out all of Neyfeld’s recipes and try them out at home.
Watermelon agua fresca
yield: Four 12-ounce glasses
material
4 cups watermelon (diced)
4 tablespoons lime juice
2 tablespoons of honey
15 mint leaves
1/2 tablespoon chopped jalapeño (optional)
For decoration:
Crushed Ice
4 mint sprigs
4 lime slices
direction
Place all ingredients in a blender and blend on medium-high speed until smooth.
Fill 4 glasses with crushed ice and pour the Agua Fresca into each glass. Garnish with a lime slice and a mint sprig.
For an adults-only summer cocktail, try adding an ounce of mezcal or tequila to each glass.
Summer salad with marinated feta cheese
yield: 1 salad for 2 people
material
Marinated feta cheese
8 ounces feta cheese
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 fresh basil leaves
1 teaspoon oregano leaves
1/2 small garlic clove
For salads
8 ounces heirloom tomatoes, cut into rectangles
2 ounces plums, cut into rectangles
3 ounces cucumber, cut into oblong shapes
5 thin slices of serrano chili or jalapeno
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tablespoon red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons coarse salt
2 ounces marinated feta cheese
5-6 fresh basil leaves
5-6 fresh mint leaves
direction
Marinate the feta cheese: Crush the garlic to release the flavor. Place all ingredients in a Ziploc bag or Tupperware container. Marinate for at least 1 hour before using.
For salads: Wash all the vegetables and cut the tomatoes, plums and cucumbers into equal sized rectangles.
Place the chopped fruit in a mixing bowl, season with olive oil, red wine vinegar and coarse sea salt, and pour onto a large serving dish or platter.
Top the fruit with marinated feta chunks, basil and mint leaves, and finish by drizzling 1 tablespoon of olive oil on top.
Frozen watermelon snacks
yield: 4 pieces each
material
5 tablespoons sugar
1/2 tablespoon citric acid
1 tablespoon cornstarch
4 watermelons, cut into 1-inch thick, 2-by-3-inch pieces
Required equipment:
Cutting board
Chef’s Knife
Mixing Bowl
Cookie sheet or shallow baking dish (for attaching the crust) Popsicle sticks
Wax paper
direction
Peel a medium to large watermelon and cut it into 1-inch slices (save the remaining watermelon for the agua fresca).
Cut the watermelon slices into “popsicle” shapes, approximately 2 x 3 inches.
Mix the sugar, citric acid, and cornstarch together to coat the watermelon. Pour the coating mix onto a cookie sheet or shallow baking dish. Working one at a time, press both sides of the watermelon into the crust mixture.
Add a popsicle stick to each one and place on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper. Freeze for 2-3 hours before serving. Do not freeze for longer than that as the treats may become too hard to bite into.
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