Beat the Heat with Gloria's Refreshing Watermelon Gazpacho

I know a lot of people who avoid gazpacho because of the high acid combo of vinegar and tomatoes. This super mild version uses watermelon in place of the tomatoes--resulting in a surprisingly not-too-sweet improvement on the original.

Try this: Don't tell your guests what is different about this recipe until after their first bite and see how many guess the mystery ingredient!

Watermelon Gazpacho

INGREDIENTS

• 6 pound seedless watermelon


• 1 medium English seedless cucumber


• 1 small red pepper


• 1 small shallot


• ½ teaspoon salt


• 1/3 cup chopped flat leaf parsley


• 1/3 cup chopped fresh basil


• 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar


• 2 tablespoons olive oil

EQUIPMENT

• electric food processor

DIRECTIONS

1. Dice enough watermelon to equal 8 cups and place in a large mixing bowl. You will still find many soft white seeds despite your purchase of a “seedless” watermelon. They will not affect the recipe. Discard any black seeds that you may find.

2. Peel and remove the small seeds of the “seedless” cucumber. Dice cucumber and add to melon.

3. Rinse, core and seed red pepper. Cut into small dice and add to mixing bowl.

4. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Puree 3 cups of watermelon mixture in processor. Pour into a large bowl. Puree another 3 cups of mixture. I like leaving a little texture in the second puree. Add to bowl. Stir in the remaining diced ingredients. Chill at least two hours or overnight. Taste. Add salt if needed.