Gazpacho Trio Tasting

Well I finally broke down and made my husband watermelon gazpacho, along with two other flavors--a creamy almond and tangy tomatillo.  Nothing reminds me more of Spain, than gazpacho.  It's a perfect soup for a warm summer evening and it takes me back to Andalucia every time I make it.  This trio would be fun to serve in shot glasses as an appetizer before the main course, or they can be served accompanied by rustic country bread and of course a good Spanish wine.  If I were entertaining, I would serve this trio with saffron marinated olives, marcona almonds, assorted roasted vegetables with romesco sauce, and potato-olive empanadas with a fig-pear dipping sauce.  Sounds delicious doesn't it!  By the way, I'll be posting all of these recipes shorty in case you ever want to throw a Spanish party of your own!

What's great about making gazpacho is that all you need is a food processor or a blender.  Also these recipes are just guidelines for you to follow.  The watermelon that I purchased may be sweeter than yours, or the tomatillos that you purchase maybe really sour so you'll need to adjust the flavorings. 

Watermelon Gazpacho:

3-4 cups diced seedless watermelon
2 large ripe tomatoes, chopped, about 1 1/2 cups
1 1/2 cups diced English cucumber
1/2 cup diced red bell pepper
1/4 cup chopped red onion
1/4 cup fresh mint leaves
Juice of 1 lime or to taste
Kosher salt to taste
1/4 cup chopped pistachios 
Mint leaves for garnish

Method:

• Add all ingredients to a food processor and blend until smooth.  Chill for about 3 hours for flavors to combine.

Tangy Tomatillo Gazpacho:

1 pound tomatillos, husk removed, blanched for about 15 seconds, and chopped
2 cups diced English cucumber
1 Anaheim pepper, seeded and diced
1 avocado, peeled and diced
2 cups sourdough bread, crust removed, diced, soaked and drained
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 tsp serrano pepper, seeded and minced (or more to taste)
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tbsp aged sherry vinegar
2-3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, preferably Spanish
Kosher salt and black pepper to taste
Chopped chives and olive oil  for garnish

Method:

• Cover bread with filtered water for about 10 minutes to soften.  Drain and squeeze dry.
• Add all ingredients to a food processor or blender and blend until smooth.
• Strain and season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Chill for about 3 hours for flavors to combine.

Creamy Almond Gazpacho:

1 cup whole almonds, blanched for about 20 seconds, skins removed
2 1/2 cups sourdough bread, crust removed, diced, soaked and drained
1-2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 cups filtered water
1-2 tbsp aged sherry vinegar
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, preferably Spanish
Kosher salt and black pepper to taste
1 red or black plum, pitted and diced small for garnish
Micro greens or chervil leaves for garnish

Method:

• Blanch almonds in boiling water for about 20 seconds, drain and remove skins.  Add to a food processor and blend until fine.
• While preparing almonds, soak bread for about 10 minutes until soft.  Drain and squeeze out excess moisture.
• Add all ingredients to the food processor and blend until smooth.
• Season with salt and pepper to taste and chill for about three hours before serving.