A delicious Spring meal is brought together beautifully with sweet and savory notes from honeydew melon wrapped in ham to zesty grilled shrimp kabobs that perfectly mirror the delicate essence of Voveti Prosecco.
“Quickly, bring me a beaker of wine so that I may wet my mind and say something clever,” as Aristophanes remarked. While that’s often my internal reaction at the outset of a dinner party, my preparation is often a much more calm and calculated ordeal. As Chef Trotter so eloquently phrased it “All four elements were happening in equal measure – the cuisine, the wine, the service, and the overall ambience. It taught me that dining could happen at a spiritual level.”
Now just past Easter, we are in that blessed ‘post-holiday’ season where old friends get together to exchange their war stories of the frenetic lead up to the big family gatherings. For me, especially, these post-holiday get-togethers are important since the holidays also happen to be my busiest time of the year for content production, and unwinding afterwards is simply a must. I hosted one such party just the other day, though it was intentionally more of a late lunch or early dinner, since I wanted to frame the entire affair in this beautiful clear spring daylight we’ve been having.
You see, having both a half of a grain cake left from Easter, as well as most of a carrot cake, both of which were homemade by my daughter, I realized that there was simply no way we were going to finish those on our own and I didn’t want them to go to waste. To that end, I called up a close friend of mine, and I invited her and her sister over for a spring-themed dinner party.
Now, while I did have an assortment of dinner leftovers from Easter, I simply couldn’t bring myself not to take advantage of the setting, and instead decided on putting together a sort of ‘casual-yet-chic affair,’ with just a hint of ‘Classical Modern’ vibe.
Grilled Shrimp Kabobs with Fresh Tzatziki Sauce Mixed Greens Salad Honeydew Melon Wrapped in Ham with Feta
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 6-8 1x
Ingredients
- 32oz. frozen raw shrimp – peeled
- 1 red bell pepper – sliced into wedges
- 1 green bell pepper – sliced into wedges
- 1 large sweet onion – sliced into thick slices
- 16 oz. grape tomatoes
- 3 large cloves of garlic – chopped
- Kabob sticks – soaked in water for 30 minutes or so before using
For the Marinade:
- 3 tbs. olive oil
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. black pepper
- 1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
- 1/2 tsp. dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp. paprika
- Juice of 1 lemon
For Fresh Tzatziki Sauce:
- 1 cucumber – seeded
- 3 garlic cloves
- 16 oz. plain Greek yogurt or sour cream
- 2 tbs. fresh dill
- 3 tbs. fresh lemon juice
- 3 tbs. olive oil
- 1/4 – 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/4 – 1/2 tsp. black pepper
- 1 anchovy
For the Rice:
- 2 cups of rice
- Pinch of turmeric
- Your choice of salad greens
- 1 red onion – sliced thin
- 1 cucumber – sliced
- Grape tomatoes
- Anchovies
- Croutons
For the Dressing:
- Drizzle of olive oil
- Squeeze of fresh lemon juice
- Salt – to taste
- Pepper – taste
- 1 honeydew melon, or any melon of your choice
- 1/2 pound of ham – sliced thin
- 16 oz. of block feta cheese – sliced
Instructions
For Shrimp & Marinade:
- Combine the red pepper wedges, green pepper wedges, onion slices, grape tomatoes, chopped garlic and peeled shrimp in a large bowl.
- Combine all of the ingredients for the marinade in a small bowl and pour over the shrimp and vegetables; cover and refrigerate for at least one hour or more before placing the shrimp and vegetables on the kabob sticks.
- Refrigerate until ready to grill.
- Grill the kabobs until the shrimp are pink and firm.
For Fresh Tzatziki Sauce:
- Combine all of the above ingredients in a food processor and give a few good chops.
- Refrigerate until ready to use.
For the Rice:
- Prepare the rice as directed with a pinch of turmeric in the water while cooking.
- Place the salad greens in a plate; top with the tomatoes, cucumber, onions, anchovies and croutons; season with salt and pepper. Drizzle with olive oil and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice.
- Slice the melon and wrap with the ham. Place a slice of feta cheese and secure with a toothpick.
- Refrigerate until ready to serve.
- Category: Main
Only one ingredient for the evening remained. The wine pairing. For starters, I knew I wanted both a prosecco, as well as a still red wine.
Now, I know what you’re thinking, prosecco to start and red to finish. Yes, under most circumstances. However, I instead paired the ham wrapped melon and anchovy salad with a good Malbec. Heresy, I know, but sometimes bending the rules can turn out just lovely. You’ll see.
From there, I paired the shrimp kebabs with one of my favorite proseccos – a bottle of VOVETI. It’s a craft prosecco, which is produced at only around 15,000 or so cases annually as a collaborative effort between the Collavini and Ferrer families, whose four generations of prosecco experience is immediately evident in what they produce. Simply put, I selected VOVETI because it’s a label that exudes the chic and modern atmosphere I was going for, while retaining the classic Italian qualities that define a good prosecco. Upscale and affordable, it’s perfect for impromptu gatherings such as these.
With the dinner made, and the pairing selected, it was time for the fun part.
The VOVETI introduced itself with a pleasantly well-defined yellow hue, with hints of translucent gold when the glass catches the daylight. On pouring, the prosecco features a mousse of effervescence, which subsides into fine and lasting bubbles. On the nose, wild flowers are prominent, alongside honeycomb laced in very vague citrus notes. On sampling, the effervescence is immediate, almost sharply so, and very pleasant, carrying yellow apple notes. These mature on the palate into white peach and assorted citrus fruits, with a prominent floral background throughout. Hints of melon or apricot linger on the palate for a very pleasant finish.
It goes without saying this made not only for an excellent pairing with my kebabs, but also helped accentuate the mood I was going for, making for an excellent spring gathering that I’m quite certain will be the first of many.
Enjoy with Love!
I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.
Louise says
Hi Catherine:)
It sounds like you had a beautiful Easter. I wouldn’t expect anything less:) Your impromptu luncheon looks lovely. Each and every dish brings conversation to the table.
The Voveti sounds perfect for such a welcome gathering of food and friends.
Thank you so much for sharing, Catherine…
★★★★★
GiGi says
Grilled shrimp kicks butt! I love how it’s crunchy yet soft!
jennai says
It sounds its a great recipe
Sara | Life's Little Sweets says
These looks SO good, I love the sauce, pinning and sharing!
★★★★★
Big Daddy Dave says
Catherine, Love the Honeydew melon with ham and feta cheese and that nice salad! I’m not big on kabobs as I just don’t care for bell peppers…but I love a great Tzatziki sauce! Where we live in East Tennessee, you can’t find a nice garlic laden Tzatziki sauce. They are all too bland. Thanks for the recipe. Take Care, Big Daddy Dave
Marcie says
What a beautiful table setting, Catherine! I love tzatziki with grilled meats — this looks delicious! I’ve never tried Voveti before and will have to look for it. 🙂
[email protected]'s Recipes says
What a feast! We love tzatziki and have it almost every week!
Jessica Knott says
This is making me incredibly hungry right now! All these veggies sound delish and that tzatziki sauce looks amazing!
Jessica Knott says
Love shrimp kebobs and this is making me incredibly hungry right now! All these veggies sound delish and that tzatziki sauce looks amazing!
★★★★★
Sarah @ The Charming Detroiter says
Mmm these recipes all look so tasty, but I’d definitely go for those shrimp kebabs. What a great idea to pair them with a delicious tzatziki sauce – I love it!
★★★★★
Peter @ Feed Your Soul Too says
My dear, so many wonderful things you served at this meal. The skewers look delicious and the tzatiki is the perfect compliment.
Claire | Sprinkles and Sprouts says
I just want to reach in to my screen and steal one of those shrimp skewers!!!! So good!!!
And everything is made a little better when accompanied by a glass of fizz!
What a great spread!!!!
Liz says
What a fabulous meal! I always have leftover desserts and love your idea of throwing an impromptu gathering with friends!
Dottie Sauchelli-Balin says
Dear Catherine,
Yes, it is me..I am trying to come back a little at a time. I see you had a blessed and delicious Easter, we did as well. I am so glad that I stopped by. You and your family are amazing! The food and the spread that you have for this post is outstanding. So very spring like and I am sure your friends enjoyed your dinner party very much. I love when you have a beautiful backdrop to show off your awesome food. These recipes are terrific, especially the shrimp and the salad..I love the salad, looks so crisp and cold. I do the same thing to my cukes, pull the fork down and that is how you get the lines. The ham wrapped on the honeydew with the feta cheese is so delicious. We had that without the cheese on Easter as an appetizer. Too much food so now we are getting back to normal eating again…So thank you for sharing your post of goodies. Have a wonderful weekend..hope I can keep up with your posts..
Love and blessing Dottie xx
sue|theviewfromgreatisland says
I just want to pull up a chair and sit down to this feast!
[email protected] says
This looks absolutely delicious. I love the casual feel of this meal – it’s still so pretty!
Chiara says
this looks so tasty and delicious ! I love Prosecco and it’s always perfect ! Have a good day my dear, a warm hug, xoxo
Immaculate says
Just love the food set up – gets me in the mood for entertaining. And all the grill shrimp kabobs look amazing. Nice
★★★★★