Beat the Heat with Watermelon Gazpacho

When I get my New York Times on the weekend, one of the first things I look at are the recipes in the Magazine section. This week, they had a whole section on watermelon and one of the recipes was for Watermelon Gazpacho. Now I happen to LOVE gazpacho -- which is typically made with tomato, cucumber and onion/garlic -- but it doesn't always love me...  It's a heartburn-inducing dish.

But I showed the watermelon gazpacho recipe to my daughter, Emily who is an excellent cook, and she was interested enough to try making it. The result? Oh man -- now THIS is something I could eat the entire summer. Sweet, savory, spicy and refreshing, all at once, this is a dish that would wow anyone. Serve it with a crisp green salad for lunch on a hot summer day, or as the first course before a BBQ.

Credit goes to Mark Bittman, one of my favorite cookbook authors, who wrote the NY Times article. I highly recommend this dish.

Prep time - minimal
Nice enough to bring to someone's house? Yes!
Would I make it again? Absolutely!!
Gluten free? Yes
Vegetarian? Yes
My grade - A

Watermelon Gazpacho

- 1 small watermelon (about 3 lbs) cut into large chunks

- 2 ripe tomatoes, chopped

- 1 garlic clove, minced

- 2 tbsp lemon juice

- salt and papper

- fresh basil

- olive oil

Put watermelon, tomatoes, garlic, lemon juice in a food processor and pulse, adding a few ice cubes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Chill in the fridge, and garnish with fresh basil and a few drops of olive oil. Yum!