A Cold Summer Soup for Slackers
Growing up in California, you get a little spoiled on melons. I remember summer breakfasts at my grandmother’s house, scooping up cold, juicy crenshaw melon flesh that peeled off the spoon; and honeydew melon that tasted like candy. I also remember feeling really sorry for my cousins because they HAD to have cantaloupe every morning for breakfast in the summer. Cantaloupe felt so ordinary, so available. I remember wrestling with under ripe wedges so hard it felt like I was going to bend the spoon with every scoop. It seemed like too much work when at our house we could just open the box of Captn Crunch or put a Pop Tart in the toaster oven.
Oh how times have changed. Summer ripe melon—any melon—is my fantasy. Mostly, I fulfill that with juicy ripe watermelon, which is pretty easy to find. As I write this, I am marinating watermelon for my second batch of Okey Pokey Watermelon Poke Bowls. There may or may not have already been multiple big batches of Watermelonade; and Summer Perfection Watermelon Tomato Salad? I’m coming for you next.
The older, Capt’n Crunchless, east coast me has come to appreciate the humbler cantaloupe, especially when it is actually ripe, which it is right now. That’s why I was intrigued by this recipe for Cantaloupe Gazpacho recently in the newspaper. It starts with a very easy base of a few fresh ingredients that all go into the blender. From there it gets a little fancy, with crisped prosciutto and olive oil whipped cream. I guess they had to do that to make it newsworthy, and it definitely takes it over the top. But I’m perfectly happy with the refreshing and very healthy basic soup. Keeping it chilled in a portable, pourable container makes it darned near perfect for slackers who want to up their summer lunch/dinner/spontaneous picnic game.
A couple of notes: This recipe is designed to work with not perfectly ripe melon as well; hence, the optional honey. I used hot honey which was good but also if your melon is sweet you don’t need honey at all. I think of gazpacho as a chunky affair, and this has a smoother texture. So, call it what you will, but I encourage you to give it a try. Whatever you’re sipping this summer, I hope it makes you happy!
Cantaloupe Gazpacho for Slackers
Original version from Aaron Hutcherson for the Washington Post
Ingredients:
- I cantaloupe (4-5 cups) peeled, seeded and cut into chunks
- 2 mini cucumber cut into chunks
- I orange bell pepper seeded and cut into chunks
- 1 garlic clove grated or minced
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup water
- 2 TBSP sherry vinegar (I used rice vinegar)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 Tbsp honey or hot honey (optional)
For the crispy prosciutto:
- 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 oz sliced prosciutto
For the olive oil whipped cream:
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- Pinch fine sea salt
Overachievers will put a metal bowl in the fridge to chill for 20 minutes before whipping the cream. The rest of you, move on to the next step to make the gazpacho.
Into the blender, put the cantaloupe, cucumbers, bell pepper, garlic, olive oil, water, vinegar and salt and blend until smooth. Taste it and add the honey if it needs it.
Make the crispy prosciutto: Directions seem excessive here, but line a small plate with a paper towel near the stove. Warm the olive oil in a skillet until shimmering and add the prosciutto in a single layer. Flip with tongs until crisped and browned, about 4 minutes. Remove from heat and transfer to the paper towel lined plate to let it crisp up.
Make the whipped cream: Add cream, olive oil and salt to your chilled bowl (a bowl for us slackers) and whip the cream with beaters, hand held whisk attachment, a whisk—whatever you’ve got– until soft peaks form.
To serve:
Ladle up a bowl, add a dollop of cream and crumble some prosciutto on top.
The Substitutions (now this extra part I do like):
Honeydew melon for the cantaloupe, peeled regular cukes for the mini cukes, whatever color bell pepper you’ve got; red or white wine vinegar for the sherry vinegar (I used rice vinegar); Bacon for the prosciutto.
Make it Vegan: no bacon or use plant based; coconut cream vs dairy whipped cream; Maple syrup vs honey.
Here’s the way the master makes it, which does make me rethink my low standards.
