Watermelon Gazpacho with Cucumber and Chili Oil

Gazpacho comes in many variations. This version is made with watermelon and cucumber. It has a drizzle of chili oil for extra pizzazz.

Ingredients:

12 dried thai bird chilis

0.5 c peanut oil

2 c watermelon chunks (no rinds)

2 large tomatoes, cored and chopped

2 seedless cucumbers, peeled & neatly chopped in to 1/4-inch cubes

1 large red onion, roughly chopped

0.25 c red-wine vinegar

0.25 c limejuice

0.25 c extra virgin olive oil

0 coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper

Yield	Servings
Prep time	1 1⁄2 hours
Recipe	Appetizer Brunch First Courses Quick and Easy Soup Summer Vegetarian
Ingredients	watermelon tomatoes Thai bird chiles red wine vinegar red onion peanut oil olive oil lime juice cucumber

Yield

Prep time

1 1⁄2 hours

Recipe

Appetizer Brunch First Courses Quick and Easy Soup Summer Vegetarian

Ingredients

watermelon tomatoes Thai bird chiles red wine vinegar red onion peanut oil olive oil lime juice cucumber

Directions

Make the chili oil: Roughly chop the dried chilis. Add the oil to a small sauce pan. Using a candy thermometer, heat the oil to about 230 degrees F. Like all hot oil infusions, the secret to making chili oil lies in getting the temperature of the heated oil just right. Too cool and the oil won’t absorb the flavors; too hot and the chili flakes will burn. Add the chopped chilis and cook until the oil become reddish, about 12 minutes. Monitor the temperature during cooking. To make it even spicier, add more dried chilis or reduce the oil to 1/3 cup. The chili oil can be used almost immediately, but for best results leave the chilis in the oil for a day to allow the flavors to blend. Strain before using.

Make the gazpacho: In a blender, puree the watermelon, tomatoes, half of the cucumber, and the onion. Pour in the red wine vinegar, lime juice and olive oil, salt and pepper. Puree until smooth. You may serve it just like this or pass it through a fine meshed sieve removing any of the solids if you want a more elegant presentation. Chill the soup for at least 2 hours and preferably overnight.

Pour the gazpacho into chilled bowls and sprinkle with remaining cucumbers and a drizzle of the chili oil. Serve.

Notes:

serves 6