Gazpacho is thought of as a chilled raw soup, always containing tomatoes, plus peppers, cucumber, olive oil, and vinegar. And possibly stale bread: there seem to be two schools of thought on this (I’ve always put bread in mine). But as Spanish cuisine has become more internationally famous, chefs have been creative in coming up with variations; I clearly remember being served a tomato and cherry gazpacho a decade ago. It really lends itself to experimentation, so I wasn’t surprised to stumble across a watermelon variation online. Rooting through the fridge today to find ways of using up some leftover watermelon, I found I had practically all the ingredients. The site I found it on has many other variations.
The recipe I found made a vast quantity. I like to serve gazpacho in shot glasses or small glass bowls as a starter or part of an apero spread. So my reduced quantity will serve about 4-6. If you really do want substantial bowlfuls, double it. It’s traditional to garnish gazpacho with tropezones, tiny dice of tomato, pepper, cucumber. I used what was available: feta and some charentais melon. Finally, with gazpacho always be bold with the seasoning. Remember chilling it affects how strong the seasoning tastes. It will also mellow with time, so check again before serving.
About 400 g watermelon
2 large ripe tomatoes
1 red or yellow pepper
1/2 a cucumber (optional)
1/2 an onion
1 garlic clove
A small handful of fresh mint leaves
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp sherry vinegar
salt and black pepper
1 small slice stale bread
garnish of your choice.
Cut the crusts off the bread and set it aside to soak for 30 minutes in water.
Meanwhile, peel, seed, and chop all the vegetables and fruit. Ideally use a variety of watermelon with few/small seeds, and try to eliminate most of them as you prepare it. Do peel the tomatoes, squeeze out the seeds, and remove the hard core. Put the prepared fruit and veg into a bowl or jug and add all of the other ingredients including the squeezed out bread, reserving some of the mint leaves for garnish.
Liquidise everything with a stick blender or jug blender. My stick blender produced a rather rustic result, which I don’t mind; if you want something smoother, a jug blender is better. Check and adjust the seasoning; it may need more salt and/or vinegar. Pour into a bowl, cover, and chill in the fridge for several hours before serving. If it’s a really hot day, you can add ice cubes. Garnish with tropezones of your choice, and mint leaves.
