There's no getting around it; Italian chefs are viewing the introduction of new herbs and spices with considerable interest, and surprising results. For example, curried watermelon.

See Also

On making risotto

Ingredients

• Watermelon (see below for amounts)
• Curry
• Rice
• Spices

• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook Time: 30 minutes

• Total Time: 50 minutes

Preparation

To serve 4, peel 4.5 pounds (2 k) of watermelon and cube the fruit into 3/4-inch cubes, eliminating seeds as you go. Take six ounces (150 g) of the fruit, put it in a strainer over a bowl, and squeeze it against the mesh with a spoon to extract the juice.

Rinse 1 3/4 cup Basmati rice, cover it with warm water, mix in two teaspoons of sea salt, and let it sit for an hour. Then drain it and cook it in abundant lightly salted water until it is al dente (this is the standard Italian way of cooking rice when you're not making risotto).

While the rice is cooking sauté 1/3 teaspoon of cumin seeds in 4 tablespoons of olive oil for a minute or so, then add the watermelon juice, a New Holland pepper and a Bulgarian Carrot pepper, both unripe, seeded, ribbed, and finely sliced, 5 whole unripe Holiday Cheer peppers, 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander seed, and a 1/2-inch section of peeled, minced fresh ginger root. Simmer the mixture for 5 minutes, then add a tablespoon of lemon juice and the diced watermelon. Cook 3 minutes more, stirring gently once or twice, and transfer the watermelon curry to a bowl. Drain the rice and serve it with the curry.