The country has endured a brutally hot summer. Well, actually, just some of the country. Here in the Hudson Valley, we used our air conditioner one night. Just one. The other nights, if we wanted to sit on our porch and listen to the stream, we had to don sweaters.
If we humans were affected, so was our garden. Let’s just say that our melons and tomatoes and cucumbers were late in coming and small when they arrived.
I finally gave up. I went to our local market, Adams, and got a lovely watermelon from God-knows-where. The Carolinas, Florida?
We needed the watermelon for two reasons. First, whether there is heat or not, it was summer and I wanted my gazpacho. Last year we enjoyed watermelon gazpacho at a local restaurant and were fascinated by the abundance of flavors that bit our tongues with flashes of heat. This recipe does that again, spikey but not too spikey.
And the second reason? Suzi is already in test mode for Cooking by the Book classes at Macy’s De Gustibus Cooking School. We already have our new Fall and Winter Menu, but we are on the hunt for ideas for next Spring and Summer. For her hands-on classes devoted to team building, she needs recipes with a special combination of characteristics:
- They have to be relatively easy, taking less than an hour for folks who may be a tad kitchen shy
- They should offer a surprise, and this combo of flavors does just that
- They must be beautiful, for Suzi’s events are cooking parties and parties need class
This gazpacho is destined for that menu. Some watermelon gazpacho recipes do use just watermelon, but most have a tomato juice component. The result is some red liquid that just puzzles you. It’s kinda like tomato juice but the acidity is muted by the watermelon sweetness. It’s a perfect marriage.
Try this recipe now, with the last watermelons of the season. And, then do what we do: put it aside to enjoy next year too!
For beauty, you can go wild. Garnish with dices of watermelon, tomato, onion, avocado or whatever is in your fridge or in our garden [if you one!]
Watermelon Gazpacho
Yield: serves 6
Ingredients:
- 4 heaping cups cubed seedless watermelon
- 1 English cucumber, diced, reserve half
- 3 medium tomatoes, diced, reserve half
- 1 small red bell pepper, diced, reserve half
- ⅓ cup chopped green onions, diced, reserve half
- 1 garlic clove
- small handful basil
- 3 to 4 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 3 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for drizzling
- 1 to 2 teaspoons sea salt, or to taste
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ½ jalapeño pepper, optional
- diced avocado, optional
- micro greens, optional for garnish
Preparation:
Set aside the reserved half of the chopped cucumber, tomatoes, red pepper and green onions and place the remaining half in a blender. Add the watermelon, garlic, basil, vinegar, olive oil, salt, pepper and jalapeño, if using. Blend until smooth. Taste and adjust seasonings.
Pour into a large bowl (or small individual jars, as pictured) and stir in the reserved chopped vegetables.
Chill for 3 to 4 hours or overnight.
Drizzle with olive oil and garnish with diced avocado and/or micro greens, if desired, before serving.
Source: loveandlemons.com