Like most of the country, New York has been suffering through a heat wave for the past week. Quite frankly, it’s too hot to cook or even to eat anything very substantial. For the first few days I was content eating salads for dinner, but after more than two or three days of salad I start to get cranky so I tried to think of something that would satisfy my raving for real food without requiring me to actually cook (since the 5 minutes I spent over the stove sautéing onions last night left me so hot that I couldn’t even enjoy the steak that Shawn grilled for me).
An ice-cold gazpacho seemed like it would hit the spot, but that suggestion was met with a resounding, “No way!” My effort to convince Shawn that gazpacho is basically just pureed salsa (the only way he’ll eat raw tomatoes) didn’t get me anywhere. Luckily, I had this recipe up my sleeve — a sightly spicy watermelon soup without a single tomato.
Loaded with cucumber and yellow bell pepper and enriched with an almond-cilantro pesto, this gazpacho doesn’t have the cloying sweetness of so many other fruit-based soups — you definitely won’t mistake it for dessert! Requiring little more than a blender and a refrigerator, it’s the perfect way to beat the summer heat. Serve it with a side of store-bought breadsticks for a satisfying dinner that even the staunchest tomato-hater will love.
This gazpacho is delicious on its own, but if you want to go crazy add a dash of angostura bitters or sherry peppers sauce to your bowl. You’ll be glad you did! It adds an extra dimension of flavor that takes this soup from great to out-of-this-world.
Ingredients
- 3 pound Watermelon peeled and cut into 1-2 inch cubes
- 1 Cucumber peeled and chopped
- 1 Yellow Bell Pepper seeded
- ¼ cup fresh Cilantro
- 12 raw/unroasted Almonds
Almonds
- 1 Jalapeno roughly chopped
- 1 Tbs. Olive Oil
Olive Oil
- 1 Lime juiced
- Black Pepper to taste
- Bitters or Sherry Peppers Sauce plus additional watermelon for garnish if desired
Instructions
- Add the watermelon and cucumber to a food processor or blender, working in batches if needed. Blend until smooth — about 30 seconds in a food processor.
- Set a mesh strainer over a large bowl. Pour the watermelon and cucumber puree through the strainer to remove the seeds. Press down gently to extract as much liquid as possible — don’t worry if some pulp seeps through.
- Add the pepper, cilantro, almonds, jalapeno, and about 1 cup of your strained liquid back into the food processor/blender. Blend until a smooth pesto forms — about 1 minute. Stir the pesto into the reserved soup base. Whisk in the olive oil and lime juice. Season with black pepper.
- Chill at least 1 hour or until ready to serve.
- If desired, garnish with additional diced watermelon and chopped cilantro. Allow each diner to season their bowl with bitters or sherry peppers sauce.
I have been on a Gazpacho kick lately too. This looks fabulous and very refreshing. Thanks for sharing it with Souper Sundays this week. 😉
I love everything about this recipe. The heat, the sweet and the creativity.
um…you hate bread? I guess since you make the most amazing looking gazpacho we can still be friends. 🙂 This is perfect for all those 100* days we’ve been experiencing!
Its a texture thing… I like toast, bagels, and english muffins! And baguettes. But plain untoasted sandwich bread? Nah. 😉
This is definitely perfect for this brutal heat! Love the flavors in this =)
I’m in love with this idea! I’m not a huge tomato soup fan so this is perfect!
Hi Lauren, I am a regular reader, but rarely comment….had to today, holy smokes this looks amazing!!! I will definitely be trying this one! Thanks for all of your stellar recipes! All the best…
Thanks for saying hi! 🙂
What a great recipe! I love that it highlights fruit, but is not an inherently sweet dish. Sounds very refreshing.
Wow, what next? Something that I have never heard of. Interesting combination of jalepenos and watermelon.
This is truly very innovative…now I will have some more uses of my watermelon other than just juices!
Oh how I love Gazpacho in the summer ! I’ve never had this Watermelon version. I must try this one. Thanks for sharing. I enjoyed this recipe idea and the rest of the blog. Will be back soon!