What to Do With a Huuuuuuge Watermelon.... "tutti a tavola"

Watermelon Gazpacho

My daughter is a willing guinea pig for a lot of my experiments in cooking. She is a fabulous cook in her own right and just seems to cook on instinct. She just knows what will taste and look fabulous. She rated this recipe a 10...but she may be biased. I took the leftovers to work yesterday and they raved as well...so 2 for 2.

There was a huge watermelon taking up a lot of space in my refrigerator. So, I had to come up with something quick. I have enough fridge monsters in there already with my name written all over them. I had heard about the ULTIMATE Watermelon Gazpacho on the Food Network by Tyler Florence so set out to find a recipe. I liked his addition of feta cheese since I do like "all things Greek" but, maybe next time.

I hadn't had Gazpacho in a number of years. It is one of those recipes that I would call retro. It has been overdone in the past like creme brulee on restaurant menus. If you have been threatened with one too many soupy Gazpachos or spongy creme brulees it kind of puts a damper on ordering it for years to come.

Gazpacho was first reincarnated for me recently at Sylvia Jurys Wine and Thyme cooking school, / on the Westside. She offered a BBQ class and had many wonderful ideas for reinventing the barbeque.

Gazpacho is the perfect summer food to beat the heat. No cooking required whatsoever. This recipe is a combination of Sylvia and Tyler's recipes. I tweeked their recipes to come to my own conclusions. Just call me a "happy camper".

 

To be an even happier camper I am entering this recipe in The "Fiesta al Fresco 2007" event over at "La Mia Cucina"  . Lis and Ivonne of "Cream Puffs in Venice"  host this event together. THIS IS THE WORLD"S BIGGEST PATIO PARTY!! To use their own words, " the premise is very simple: prepare a dish using a fresh seasonal ingredient that growns in your area and then send it over". You can come to ...virtually. I see myself spoon in hand with my gazpacho in a martini glass.

 
**Watermelon Gazpacho**

• 4 large tomatoes, skins removed, chopped
• 8 oz watermelon seeded and cubed (seedless if you can find it)... I used approximately 4 cups
• 1 Serrano chili, seeded (you can use more to taste depending on the heat you want)
• 1/2 English cucumber, finely diced
• 1 yellow bell pepper, finely diced
• 1 red bell pepper finely diced
• 1 green bell pepper finely diced
• 1 red onion, finely diced
• 4 plum tomatoes, skins removed, finely diced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 cup white wine vinegar ( I used Champagne vinegar because it was what I had)
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 tablespoon kosher slat or sea salt (or to taste)
• 1-1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper (or to taste)
• 1 tablepoons fresh dill, minced (You can also add cilantro for additional flavour)
• 1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese (if using as per Tyler's recipe)
• Watermelon wedge for garnish (not only does this look pretty but you can bite into it periodically to cut down a bit of the heat of the gazpacho

1. Core tomatoes and cut an X in the tomatoes. Drop tomatoes into a pot of boiling water and remove after 1 minute into a bowl of iced water. Peel the tomatoes.

2. Puree tomatoes, watermelon and chili in batches.Add vinegar and olive oil; pulse. Pour into a bowl. Fold in cucumber, peppers, onion, and diced tomatoes. Add garlic, salt, pepper and dill. Mix well and taste. You can also add cilantro for another flavour dimension.

3. Allow flavours to marry in the refrigerator. The longer the Gazpacho sits, the more the flavour will develop.

This soup is served cold or at room temperature.

Garnish with extra dill, feta cheese (if using).

It will keep for 3 - 4 days but is best served the next day.

I served the soup in a martini glass with a slice of watermelon on the rim and a sprig of dill for a stir stick.

You are reading this post on More Than Burnt Toast at http://morethanburnttoast.blogspot.com. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to the author/owner of More Than Burnt Toast. All rights reserved by Valerie Harrison.