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Green Melon, Cubanelle Peppers and Ricotta Salata

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Green Melon, Cubanelle Peppers and Ricotta SalataEllen Silverman

This salad of melon, sweet pepper, salty cheese and earthy basil recalls the watermelon salad that we all love so much, but its elegant components make it more refined. Salt is key to marrying the flavors, so be generous, tasting as you go. Be liberal, too, with a very good extra-virgin olive oil—it is very much a part of this salad.

picking the perfect pepper:

Cubanelle peppers (sometimes labeled "Italian frying peppers") are long tapered sorts, mild and sweet. Banana peppers make a good substitute, but be sure to taste first—I prefer a sweet, not hot, pepper for this dish. (Note: banana peppers resemble their semi-fiery cousin, the Hungarian wax pepper, so it's easy to bring home the heat when you are really looking for the sweet.)

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