Not Your Average Soup
I’d like to start by saying that one large watermelon is way too much for one girl to eat.
I cubed some up to munch on. I’ve made drinks out of it. I was seriously running out of ideas.
Then as I was driving home from work today, I had a “Eureka!” lightbulb moment.
Watermelon gazpacho.
I envisioned making a typical gazpacho but with a few additions to it, like watermelon.
First I roasted some roma tomatoes, shallots, zucchini and red bell peppers.
I just tossed them with some olive oil, salt and pepper. I kept it simple because I knew the gazpacho itself was going to be a bit complex.
While the vegetables were roasting, I chopped up the rest of my mise en place.
Parsley, basil, cilantro [from my herb garden!!], lime zest, lime juice, cucumber, kalamata olives [my wild card ingredient].
I also chopped up some additional bell pepper, zucchini and tomatoes to finish off the soup with.
Then I cubed up some watermelon.
There were no black seeds in this watermelon [thank God!], no picking out those pesky seeds for me!
Once the vegetables were done roasting, I put them in my VitaMix. Also adding the watermelon, herbs, lime zest and juice, olives, half of the cucumber.
Then I went rummaging through my cabinets and fridge to find any additional things I wanted to add.
I ended up putting a decent splash of sherry vinegar [Mmh.], a tiny squirt of Sriracha sauce [I put that **** in everything] and salt and pepper.
I pulsed everything together until it was to the consistency that I desired.
At this point, I also tasted to seasoning and adjusted it as necessary.
Oh yeah.
That’s the consistency I was going after.
I then transferred the pulsed mixture to a bowl and mixed in the remainder of the chopped ingredients.
I love having a roughly pureed soup base and mixing in little rustic diced vegetables into it.
I garnished the gazpacho with some diced watermelon and chives [again from my garden!].
Since I had such a big lunch, this was the light dinner fare that I was craving.
Gazpacho, to me, is best served with a big, crusty loaf of bread.
Only problem, I didn’t have any.
Epic fail.
Guess tortilla chips will have to do.
Of course I made more than my share, so I’m banking on the flavors to continue to meld together in the fridge.
Hello fabulous leftovers.
**Reminder, get crusty bread!!**
This meal was so satisfying to me. It reminded me of why I love to cook and why food is such a big part of my life.
I love being able to take such fresh ingredients and create something so flavorful.
I think my dream job would have to be working on a farm and being able to create dishes based on what was flourishing on property.
Sigh…
A girl can dream, can’t she?
Add it to the list…
Hope you guys have a fabulous weekend!!
Anyone doing anything fun?
I have to work tomorrow, but I’m looking forward to going berry picking with some Charlotte Food Bloggers on Sunday!
Vanessa 
