Does anyone remember that show Ask Aida? I really liked that show – I wonder why it was cancelled.
Anyway, as I was searching high and low for an interesting watermelon gazpacho recipe a few weeks ago, I found this one. The author was Aida Mollenkamp, of Ask Aida.
I had been looking for a gazpacho recipe because for whatever reason, I just *had* to make one for a dinner party we were hosting. It didn’t matter that Dan wasn’t into the idea – he’s a hot soup kinda guy – I had an idea, and I wasn’t going to let go of it. I had a heavier meal planned, so I wanted to do something light to start.
Still, I wanted to find something different. The only gazpacho I remember loving was this one my aunt made for me earlier in the year, and that was a tough one to beat. I knew that I wanted to do something summery, as it was nearing the end of summer – and when I learned that our guests {one of them a very picky eater} loved watermelon, I had part of my work cut out for me.
But what I wanted was a watermelon gazpacho with an edge, and that is exactly what I found in this recipe. The addition of the basil oil and the spicy cayenne salt was everything I could have asked for. My photograph taken in the dark doesn’t do it justice – the garnishes really made it look like something special. My picky eater – who turned out not to be a big gazpacho fan – even said, “if I liked gazpacho, this would be the best gazpacho ever made!”
I’ll take it.
Watermelon Gazpacho with Basil Oil + Cayenne Salt
Adapted from Aida Mollenkamp
For the basil oil:
- 1 1/2 cups extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 1/2 cups packed basil leaves
For the gazpacho:
- 3 cups cubed day-old country bread, crust removed
- 3-4 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
- 1/4 cup coarsely chopped basil leaves
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 1/2 cups coarsely chopped tomatoes (about 1 1/2 pounds)
- 4 1/2 cups coarsely chopped watermelon (about 1 1/2 pounds)
- 2 small seedless cucumbers, peeled and coarsely chopped (about 2 2/3 cups)
- 1/4 cup coarsely chopped red onion
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
For the garnish:
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1/2 cup minced watermelon
- 1/2 cup minced seedless cucumber
To make the garnish, mix cayenne pepper and salt in a small bowl until well combined. In a separate bowl, toss together watermelon and cucumber. To serve, top each bowl of gazpacho with 2 tablespoons of the watermelon and cucumber, sprinkle with cayenne salt, and drizzle with basil oil.
Makes 8 servings – I halved the recipe to serve 4.
