Description:

Instead of a grill, use a very well seasoned ridged cast iron grill pan if you like. Just make sure the cheese is very cold and very firm. Manouri is a unique, semi-soft Greek cheese, but a block of good Greek feta may be substituted.

Ingredients:

12 ounces Manouri, very cold
1 ½ pounds seedless watermelon, in two 1-inch thick, center-cut slices
1 small red onion (cut into rings and pickled)
Extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and cracked black pepper
10 leaves mint
10 picked sprigs dill
10 leaves Thai basil
1 tablespoon aged balsamic vinegar
Four slices rustc bread (cut 1” thick)
Sea salt

For Pickled Red Onions
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
½ cup dry red wine
1 cup red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons kosher salt
2 tablespoons sugar
1 Small Red onion (peeled and sliced into 1/8 inch rings)

Instructions:

- Pickle onion rings. (See recipe below)
- Preheat a charcoal or gas grill until hot.
- Cut the manouri into two 1-inch thick circles. Trim the rind from the watermelon rounds and cut into large pie-shaped wedges, about 5 inches on the longer sides. Brush the watermelon and the manouri with a little olive oil
and season with salt and pepper.
- Grill the watermelon wedges and the manouri rounds just until slightly char-marked on both sides.
Transfer to a platter and cut the manouri into wedges about the same size as the watermelon.
- Top with pickled onion rings. Drizzle with a little more olive oil and a few drops of aged balsamic.
- Finish with fresh herbs, a little sea salt and a coarse grind of black pepper.

For Pickled Red Onions
- In a dry pan, lightly toast the spices. Add the wine and reduce by half. Add the vinegar, salt, and sugar.
Simmer for 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, place the onions in a heatproof container. Pass the hot pickling liquid through a fine sieve over the onions and let them soak overnight, or as long as possible.