WATERMELON GAZPACHO by @KORINAMOSSAUTHOR

KORINA MOSS: Summer calls for salads and cold soups. Vicki Delany shared her gazpacho recipe with us last week, which looked delicious. This easy peasy watermelon gazpacho is a twist on the classic gazpacho recipe and can be made low salt. It's smoother than the classic version, thanks to using a blender instead of a food processor, and comes out a beautiful color. Makes about 4 bowls.

INGREDIENTS:

1 lb (1-3/4 cups) seedless watermelon

2 large (2-1/2 cups) fresh tomatoes

1/3 (1/2 cup) cucumber, peeled

1 clove garlic

1 red pepper, de-seeded (you can also add 1/2 of a green pepper)

3 TBL rice vinegar or sherry vinegar

1/4 cup olive oil

paprika, salt, and pepper to taste

 

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Cut the watermelon, tomatoes, red pepper (de-seed), peeled cucumber, and fresh garlic. Working in three batches, put 1/3 of the ingredients in a blender. (This is what it looks like when you don't work in batches!) 

2. Again, working in three batches, add 1/3 of the olive oil and vinegar, then some paprika, salt, and pepper to each batch. 

3. Puree about a minute or until smooth. Pour into a container with an airtight lid and repeat with the other two batches.

This is the beautiful color it is when it's first done. It also smells heavenly.

Put the lid on and let it sit in the fridge for at least an hour. It darkens a little as it sits and the flavors meld. Cut some cucumber and Spanish or red onion into very small pieces for garnish and crunch. Serve cold and enjoy! 

*Can be kept in the refrigerator for about three days before it starts to lose its flavor. Leftovers can be frozen. When ready to use, give it time to defrost on its own and serve chilled. 

Readers: Have you ever tried a cold soup? Do you enjoy it?

FONDUE OR DIE is available for PREORDER! 

The Cheese Shop Mystery series is available wherever books are sold. To find out more and subscribe to my FREE monthly newsletter, visit my website and follow me on Facebook and Instagram. 

KORINA MOSS is the author of the Cheese Shop cozy mystery series set in Sonoma Valley, including the Agatha Award winner of the Best First Novel, Cheddar Off Dead and the finalist for Best Contemporary Novel, Case of the Bleus. Her books have been featured in USA Today, PARADE Magazine, Woman’s World Magazine, AARP Magazine, and Fresh Fiction. 

For the past several years, Korina has been on her own Eat, Pray, Love journey, which seems to have stalled at the Eat phase. When not writing or sampling new cheeses (a perk of the job), she can be found with a new favorite cozy, doing jigsaw puzzles, or discovering new travel destinations. She has an affinity (some might say addiction) to coffee mugs, loves cats, and can't pass up a new notebook or journal with all those fresh, empty pages.