Tag Archives: summer soup

Cantaloupe Gazpacho

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.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Aaron Hutcherson Food Recipes (@thehungryhutch)

Coolest Cucumber Soup

Labor Day be damned summer is NOT over yet. Well, not totally. Sadly, I was skunked at two corn suppliers yesterday, so that ship is quickly sailing. But cukes and zukes are still going strong. I’ve got a pretty epic zucchini creation coming soon (I was so busy marveling at it that I forgot to take a picture), but while we’re waiting, here’s a cool way to use up some of the many cucumbers you may be experiencing.

I discovered while searching for a soup that involved zero cooking or warming of any kind, and could all be made in the blender. Slackers delight!

This one goes out to you Californians and westerners who are feeling the heat, and the smoke, and the earthquakes. As a bonus, it involves an avocado. The original recipe calls for the avocado on the soup, but this is not my first soup rodeo. Adding the avocado to the blender adds heft and creaminess without actual cream.

I hope this soup helps you soak up every last bit of summer, and frees up some space in your fridge.

Coolest Cucumber Soup

Adapted from The New York Times

Ingredients

1 pound cucumbers, peeled, halved lengthwise and seeded
2 cups buttermilk (or use 1 1/2 cups plain yogurt plus 1/4 cup water) *
1 large garlic clove, peeled and smashed
2 anchovy fillets (optional) **
2 small whole scallions, trimmed
½ jalapeño, seeded and chopped
½ cup packed mixed fresh herbs (like mint, parsley, dill, tarragon, basil and cilantro)
½ teaspoon sherry or white wine vinegar, more to taste ***
¾ teaspoon kosher sea salt, plus more to taste (omit if using miso, then add if needed)
½ avocado ****

All The Options

4 slices toast of choice
½ avocado, pitted, peeled and thinly sliced
½ lemon
2 tablespoons crumbled feta cheese
Extra-virgin olive oil, for serving
Freshly ground black pepper
1 ear of corn, shucked, kernels sliced off
Fresh dill, for serving
Fried shallots or onions (if you’ve got ’em, why not?)

* Vegans, you have your milks. Use them here, soured with vinegar or lemon juice
**I used 2 tsp miso paste instead, for saltiness and funk, or what one might call “umami,”
*** I used 1 Tbsp lime juice (half a lime)
**** I threw the avocado intended as a topping right into the blender. Save the other half for toast…or throw it in as well. Did anyone ever complain about too much avocado? Ok, except for my husband?

Method

In the bowl of a blender or food processor, combine cucumber, buttermilk, garlic, anchovy, scallions, jalapeño, fresh herbs, sherry vinegar and salt. Blend until smooth and adjust seasoning as needed.
Smash avocado slices on the toasted bread. Sprinkle with crumbled feta, squeeze the juice of the lemon half over the top and finish each with a drizzle of olive oil and some pepper. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
Distribute soup between 4 bowls and garnish with raw corn kernels and a drizzle of olive oil. Serve avocado toast on the side.

Colorado Summer Corn Souper Chowder

Cowgirl and cook Tania Coffey is back on the cooking range, this time helping us figure out more ways to enjoy summers sweetest fresh corn. This recipe is adapted from a vegetarian version created by Aaron Bennett, a chef at the Aspen Ritz Carlton. It was created as an appetizer to showcase Colorado’s produce, in particular Olathe corn.

Tania says: “This soup is so much of a pain to make that after many efforts we decided to grill a chicken breast, shred it, toss it in with the soup, rename it chowder and not cook another thing for dinner. That said, it is so good that in August we make it over and over until we are sick of it and can wait another year for fresh corn.”

So there’s your motivation. Armed with Tania’s disclaimer I made this soup, with my own set of preconditions. First, I only had four ears of corn so I had to cut it in thirds which challenged my math skills. Second, in New England my pepper selection is limited, so I had to go with jalapenos and a couple of canned chipotles in adobo. (Update: as anticipated, Tania politely points out in first comment below that cans have no place in this recipe. So let’s all just pretend I never used those chipotles). Third, I had no chicken, so I reverted to a soup more like the original. The good news is that you now have our guarantee that it is delicious with or without chicken.

Before you embark, I will soften the prep warning a bit by summing up the procedure. You are cutting fresh corn off the cob, and boiling the cobs in milk and broth. You are roasting corn kernels in the oven. You are sautéeing diced onions and peppers in butter. Then you are throwing it all together and pureeing part of it. When it’s done it is really truly NOT pretty. But as Tania notes, “it is incredible when the corn is sweet.” So let’s get over appearances shall we?

You will need two big stock pots and a hearty blender (or an immersion blender along with the good sense to keep it deep in the pot while blending).

Colorado Summer Corn Chowder

Adapted from chef Aaron Bennett via Tania Coffey

Makes: A lot; 10-12 servings at least, or more if it’s eaten by the mug vs the bowl.

Ingredients:

12 ears fresh sweet corn
1 1/2 sweet onion diced
3 poblano peppers diced (If you can find roasted poblanos use them for a totally different— and fabulous—taste).
3 jalapeños ribs and seeds removed minced
2 red bell peppers
2 T garlic minced
4T butter
2 quarts chicken stock
2 quarts whole milk
2 T olive oil
salt and pepper
1 lb chicken breast grilled and shredded with 2 forks.

Method:

Seatbelts on. Preheat oven to 350
Preheat grill for chicken (or bake chicken with corn)

Peel corn. Cut kernels from cobs. Save cobs.
Put cobs in one stock pot with chicken stock and milk and bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium and simmer gently for 45 minutes.

Grill the chicken breast. Don’t over cook it as it is going in the hot soup. Remember, this step makes the soup a meal but is not mandatory! The chicken is added after the soup is completely made so you can live dangerously and decide then.

Toss corn kernels with olive oil, season with salt and pepper. Put kernels on baking sheet and roast for 15-25 minutes until lightly browned. (You’ll need at least two baking sheets if making the full recipe).

In an 8 quart stock pot melt butter and add all peppers, onion and garlic. Cook over medium heat stirring often until onion is translucent but not browned. Add roasted corn and cook for another 2 minutes.

Remove cobs from stock and discard.

Pour broth over peppers and corn. Bring to a simmer for 20 minutes.

Blend 3/4 of the soup in batches in a powerful blender until smooth. The remaining 1/4 stays lumpy for texture. Season with salt and pepper. Add shredded chicken.