Did you ever try roasting melon? Like me, it probably never even occurred to you to try it, as we tend to think of melon as something cool and refreshing for summer and to be eaten raw. But yep, it can be done, and it's really delicious! Especially if sprinkled with cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, chilli, cayenne pepper... or a combination... yuuummmmmm. The seeds too can be washed, dried and roasted, just like other edible seeds. They are a little tougher than something like pumpkin seeds, but roast them well and they make a very pleasant snack indeed. You can flavour them with spices, or you can even grind them up fine into a flour and use them in baking.
I want to thank @lenasveganliving for hosting this "Fruits and Veggies Monday" contest (all details of how to enter and prizes are in her post). It's not been running very long but boy do people seem to love it! I guess it gives everyone the chance to exchange information, recipes, tips about fruits and vegetables... or simply the chance to show each other what kind of plants we like to eat, or grow. It's a great idea, and it's a beautiful way to celebrate fruits and vegetables that help sustain human life, and give us so much pleasure. Thank you fruits and veggies, and thank you Lena!
Roasting melon is very easy and doesn't take much time. You don't really need an explanation, but just in case here goes! First slice the melon in half and scoop out the seeds. Here I have both honeydew melon and galia melon. Different in taste, but equally gorgeous!
Rinse the seeds thoroughly so no melon flesh remains... I find using a sieve/colander is the easiest way to do this.
See how lovely and clean they are...
Pat them dry on a clean tea-towel and then roast under a moderately hot grill for about 15-20 minutes... You don't want it too hot to scorch the seeds before they have roasted through, so just hot enough to brown them slowly. You will have to keep an eye on them!
Here they are golden and crunchy after being roasted. I usually store roasted seeds in jars ready as a snack or to sprinkle on salads, or whatever.
Now, back to the melon! Once you removed the seeds you can slice the melon up into wedges. Lay the wedges on a roasting tray (and sprinkle with spices if you wish). Roast in the oven at about 170 degrees Celsius for about 20 minutes. (This is not exact as it depends on the juiciness of your melon and how thick the wedges.. but keep an eye and it will be fine!)
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Many thanks.
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All photos in this post are my own original, taken with my Fujifilm Finepix S8200.
