Tuesday, July 5, 2011

Watermelon Gazpacho



From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I'm not a huge fan of chilled fruit soups. I enjoy gazpacho now and then, but it is not the type of dish I ever have a yen for. If it appears on the table that's fine, if it doesn't, that's fine too. I had a pleasant surprise this weekend. A watermelon gazpacho was one of the dishes we shared with friends at the potluck on Saturday. It was extraordinarily good and I was unprepared for how tasty it could be. While tomatoes and other vegetables had obviously been used in its preparation, the dominant flavor was a watermelon whose sweetness had been slightly tempered by the addition of vinegar and olive oil. It had amazing color that my photo only hints at. My soup, and almost all the others I found on the web, look red or orange in photographs. The soup is actually pink. In a completely pureed state, it would be a perfect starter for a bridal shower, especially if served in cocktail glasses. I prefer my gazpacho without chunks, so I kept the whole pieces of fruit to an absolute minimum. While sweet peppers and other vegetables can easily be added to the ingredient list, use an easy hand with them. It is important not to overwhelm the watermelon flavor that this soup is all about. Like all chilled soup, you''ll find this needs a generous measure of salt to season it. Here's the recipe I used to make the soup.

Watermelon Gazpacho...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite

Ingredients:
2 cups chopped ripe red tomatoes
1 small jalapeno pepper, ribs and seeds removed, coarsely chopped
5 cups cubed fresh water melon, divided use
1 tablespoon sherry wine vinegar
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoon minced red onion
1 small cucumber, peeled, seeded, and finely chopped
2 tablespoons minced cilantro, plus more for garnish
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese

Directions:
In a blender, puree tomatoes, chile, and 4 cups of watermelon. Pour in sherry wine vinegar and olive oil and pulse. Add onion, cucumber and cilantro and season with salt and pepper. Puree until smooth. Pour into chilled bowls and sprinkle with cilantro, feta, and remaining watermelon. Serve. Yield: 6 to 8 servings.







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You might also enjoy these recipes:
Cool and Chunky Gazpacho - The Kosher Tomato
Recipe: Gazpacho for Warm Summer Days - My Healthy Eating Habits
Bloody Mary Gazpacho - Picture Perfect Meals
Mango Gazpacho - Delishhh
Creamy Gazpacho - The Baking Beauties


69 comments :

sangeeta said...

Hi Mary. The red gazpacho looks gorgeous and sound so yummy going by the ingredient list. I have to make it to see how it looks pink actually :) f
or the taste i imagine too :)

My Little Space said...

What a gorgeous gazpacho! Bookmarked this for later use. Hope you're having a great day.
Blessings,
Kristy

Unknown said...

>def bookmarking and trying out looks fab mary!

Kris said...

That gazpacho looks interesting!!!

Valerie Harrison (bellini) said...

I am not a huge fan of watermelon but I am a firm believer that everuone will like everthing if cooked in a way they will enjoy. I have made watermelon gazapacho and so can now say I enjoy watermelon!

What's next said...

That sounds and looks wonderful! I need a girl lunch to make that for soon!

Lifewithspices said...

this is a very good one hv tried this once at home without melons..

Mijú said...

Unos tropezones bien ricos.
Un saludito

Unknown said...

This is intriguing, never had it - seems easy enough to try!

From the Kitchen said...

We do like gazpacho and watermelon so this will make it to our summer table. We also like cold buttermilk cucumber soup and chlodnik (sp ?) which adds sour cream to cold beet soup. I need to get them to table as well as the temperature is rising in these parts.

Have a delicious day!

Best,
Bonnie

Joe Ambrosino said...

This looks very good, Mary.I happen to like gazpacho and love watermelon. I'll give it a try.

Diane said...

That sounds really good and perfect for the weather we are experiencing at the moment. Take care. Diane

Food Glorious Food! said...

I am also not a fan of chilled soup by will give it a try... interesting recipe :) Have a great week ahead!

Anonymous said...

Ooh, what a sweet melon take on this cold soup!

Kim said...

ahhh i love gazpacho!!! adding watermelon to it just sounds AMAZING. great recipe Mary! :D hope you had a wonderful weekend!

That Girl said...

I love the sound of this. But I love gazpacho.

lena said...

this is totally unknown to me. I;ve never cooked anything with watermelon..learning something new again here!

Chelsea said...

I can honestly say that I've never had anything like this. Unfortunately I'm allergic to melons, but maybe a mango base would work...

Susan..... said...

Never had a gazpacho and hubby's not a fan of cold soups but this would be a great way to start our journey. We both love watermelon.

Ana Rita Marreiros said...

Never tried gazpacho but i do love watermelon so i would probably enjoy this...

Kisses,
Rita

Saji said...

Luks gorgeous!!!!bookmarked it!!!

StephenC said...

I am a huge fan of gazpacho, but no fan at all of watermelon. I am sure you worked your magic on it as you always do.

Jennifer said...

Wow, that looks tasty I am a lover of regular Gazpacho but this sounds even better!

Priya Suresh said...

Wonderful gazpacho..sooo refreshing and interesting..

Umm Mymoonah said...

Looks lovely, very interesting twist to the regular ones.

Reshmi Mahesh said...

Gorgeous recipe...with lovely ingredients...Loved that bright color..

Tanna said...

This is beautiful and sounds so refreshing! A little heat from the jalapenos... a little sweet from the melon... I'm enjoying just thinking about it! LOL! Thank you. blessings ~tanna

Swathi said...

Delicious, I am thinking a long time to make gazpacho, this one make perfect recipe.

Linda Starr said...

Gary is allergic to watermelon, perhaps this is something that won't make his throat itch, looks delicious.

Lenia said...

What an original idea!It must be refreshing and tasty!

Epicurea said...

summer in a bowl! maybe goat cheese could be a nice variation instead of the feta?

Ginny Hartzler said...

What an unusual yet truly summery recipe!!

PeggyR said...

This sounds very good!

Jocie's Mom said...

Very cool dish. Usually I'm pretty scared of cold soups but with a yummy flavor like watermelon, I reckon that's pretty darn tasty. Well done!

tanja said...

I am a big watermelon fan, but have never tried a watermelon gazpacho. It looks fantastic! Will definitely try that!:)

Whats Cookin Italian Style Cuisine said...

What a refreshing idea lovely!

Maris(In Good Taste) said...

This had to be the hit of the party!

Ellen Whyte said...

I adore gazpacho and this odd variation looks intriguing. I can get the ingredients here so I'm going to try it. Will let you know how it goes!

Unknown said...

we had gazpacho soup yesterday at a friends' house! it was awesome :) this looks great too!

meghan @ scratch-made wife said...

Strangely enough I have a ton of watermelon in the fridge but no ripe tomatoes! I'll have to keep this in mind for future reference. How unique!

T.W. Barritt at Culinary Types said...

This is such an interesting mix of sweet and savory flavors. Beautiful color!

Unknown said...

Gorgeous watermelon gazpacho, I would like mine with one of your blue cheese gougeres;-)

Kim said...

Yumm, watermelon in gazpacho, looks perfect for these hot days we have!

Joanne said...

I read about watermelon gazpacho on another blog recently and absolutely adore the idea! Throw some feta on top and I'd be so refreshed!

Christine's Pantry said...

Wow! Great recipe!

Pondside said...

I can't even imagine watermelon in soup - but now I'm intrigued. I think it would be a great first course for a bridge luncheon.

Jeanette said...

Mary - I could use a cup of this cool Watermelon Gazpacho right now in this hot weather! I am bookmarking this to try this summer!

Unknown said...

I've never had gazpacho Mary, but this sounds really great! I just love watermelon : )

Katarina said...

THis looks wonderful!

FLORY said...

What a gorgeous gazpacho! So refreshing and interesting!

shaz said...

Sounds really refreshing. Perfect for the hot weather! Thanks for the inspiration!

Mireya Merritt said...

Being that watermelon is slightly acidic, it sounds like it should taste great. I'll have to give this non-traditional gazpacho a try.

The Harried Cook said...

I love gazpacho! I made gazpacho recently, but never took pictures! Mine didn't look half as good as yours though. Maybe because I didn't use watermelon! Sounds fabulous, Mary! Thanks for sharing! :)

Anonymous said...

how very interesting! thanks for sharing Mary :)

Manu said...

Gazpacho, so delicious soup!! Have a nice day ♥

Jayanthy Kumaran said...

great idea..so easy ..looks good..my kids love this too..we'll have to try it ..:)

Tasty Appetite

Red Nomad OZ said...

HHHMMMmmm... my tastebud jury's out on this one!! But I'm probably too curious not to give it a try!!

Have a great day!!

linksdistodaquilo said...

Looks delicious!
Kisses.

Tinny said...

Ottima ricetta, molto sana ed estiva! Un carissimo saluto.

Barbara said...

I AM a big fan of cold fruit soups, Mary. And I love watermelon. This really looks marvelous. And so refreshing for summer.

Unknown said...

I would normally pass buy gazpacho, but if you made it.. I would try it for sure. It does sound wonderful for a hot summer day!

sweetlife said...

How refreshing, watermelon gazpacho..thank you for sharing, have a great week!

Emily Malloy said...

Amaaaaaazing!

Desserts In My Kitchen said...

I have never had this before. I do like watermelon. It looks refreshing.

Sprigs of Rosemary said...

I'm not a big cold soup fan, but I do like watermelon and I'd be more than willing to give this beautiful soup a try . . . especially after a tough day of yard work like I just had (and especially if *you* made it!)

justjoycee said...

Great recipe!!!!

Unknown said...

I'm not a cold soup fan...maybe because I don't salt them enough. I love the twist of doing gazpacho with watermelon.

Tasty Trix said...

At the cafe where I cook, my boss the owner makes a watermelon gazpacho, and reading your recipe it strikes me that, while his is very good, the feta would be the piece de resistance. I hope you don't mind if I pass this tip along!!

Kerstin said...

What a lovely refreshing summer dish! We can't get enough watermelon, in any form, bookmarked!

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