Roasted Watermelon Fillet
Recipe
1medium seedless watermelon
For the dry marinade
2 sundried chipotle chiles
2 teaspoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 onion powder
1/2 teaspoon orange zest
5 cloves
3 tablespoons salt
For the glaze
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 clove of garlic
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 tablespoon agave syrup
juice of 1 orange
1/2 teaspoon orange zest
2 teaspoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon vegan Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
Garnish:
a bunch of rosemary
Instructions
For the dry marinade
1. Add all the ingredients for the dry marinade (except the salt) to a small saucepan. On low heat, toast the spices for 5 minutes to bring out their aromas.
2. Add all the spices from the pot to a high-powered blender. Blend until completely smooth.
Prepare the watermelon: Using a sharp knife, cut the top and bottom off the watermelon, removing enough rind to expose the red flesh. Stand the watermelon upright on one flat end and pare off the rind, cutting using long strokes of the knife from top to bottom. (The strips you remove will look like barrel staves.) Place the watermelon onto a lined baking tray. Spoon the dry marinade over the watermelon and gently rub it in to get as much marinade as possible between the cuts. Sprinkle over the salt, cover the tray with foil, and leave it in the fridge to marinate overnight.
Roast the watermelon: Set the oven at 200 degrees C for 60 minutes.
Whilst the watermelon is roasting, make your glaze. Add all the ingredients to a small saucepan on a medium heat and simmer for 8-9 minutes until a nice thick glaze. After an hour, take the watermelon out of the oven and with a paintbrush, start to paint on the glaze. Make sure that the glaze gets into all the little cuts. Broil in the oven at maximum heat for 10 minutes until golden brown.
Once the melon has been roasted, the texture should have completely changed; it should be springy to the touch. Set aside for a while to cool down, and cut it into thin slices with a sharp knife. You can save some of the juices of the watermelon and the glaze in a small bowl, and use a rosemary bunch as a paintbrush for the watermelon.
Enjoy!
