watermelon gazpacho
it's been wildly hot in seattle for weeks. damn hot. so damn hot i've got robin williams lines running on repeat through my brain. brewing coffee makes me sweat. anything involving the oven is completely unfathomable. i'm happily subsisting off of smoothies, salads and iced tea. nothing too worthy of a blog post... until today.
despite complaining about the heat, i've actually had some exciting things occur in life recently. i won a baking contest for this recipe - although i still don't consider myself a baker... i finally overcame a fear and figured out a tricky transition into handstands ... but the biggest news of all is really really exciting! i'll be cooking for a kayaking and mindfulness retreat in alaska next month with inside passages. i can't wait to escape this heat, and head north to explore a place by kayak that i've always wanted to visit! there are still two spots available if you are interested in joining as a guest. the retreat is gathering together a rad group of folks in their 20's and 30's who are working to promote environmental or social change. i can't wait to meet them all and share in the experience together!
ok, now a bit about this recipe. my guy and i recently had a date night out at tallulah's. we shared a number of tasty small plates, but the simple flavors of the watermelon gazpacho were most memorable. sweet, savory, bright and refreshing. flavors worthy of experimenting with. i've always loved the combination of mint and melon, so today i made an elegant watermelon gazpacho topped with a minted cucumber and avocado salsa. it was perfection on a hot day.
watermelon gazpacho ~ makes about 6 cups
4 large red tomatoes (3-4 cups) roughly chopped
1/2 mini watermelon (3-4 cups) watermelon chunks
juice of 2 limes
large pinch salt
1 (or just a portion) seeded habanero chili
1 small clove garlic
olive oil for garnish
puree together in a blender until smooth. no not overdo it with a high speed blender, as you'll want to be able to strain out any seeds. i might suggest you start with just 1/4 of a habanero, and add more to taste. then sift gazpacho through a fine mesh strainer into a bowl to remove tomato and watermelon seeds. chill for at least 2 hours before serving.
minted cucumber-avocado salsa ~ for topping your gazpacho
1 ripe avocado
1/2 english cucumber
juice of 1 lime
1-2 tablespoons fresh mint
cut cumber and avocado into long thin strip then dice into tiny cubes, combine in small mixing bowl. finely chop or tear tiny bits of fresh mint into bowl. toss with the juice of a lime.
to serve gazpacho, fill shallow bowls with a portion of gazpacho, top with several tablespoons of cucumber salsa, drizzle with a thin amount of olive oil and sprinkle with flaky sea salt. serve chilled.
