Today at the Farmers’ Market the produce was gorgeous. I purchased a quart of zebra tomatoes, so named for their magnificent alternating lime and dark-green stripes, a quart of rainbow-colored cherry tomatoes, a large bag of long and lovely purple eggplants, a mix of spicy greens, and a few other goodies.
I was intent on making a traditional tomato gazpacho, but at the last minute I decided on this beautifully different gazpacho instead. Think of gazpacho as salad soup.
8 cups watermelon (peeled from rind, seeded, and chopped)
3 small-medium pickling cucumbers, diced
1 red bell pepper (cored, seeded, and diced)
1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
1/4 cup flat-leaf parsley, chopped
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons green onions, chopped
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3/4 teaspoon salt
Mix together all the ingredients in a large bowl.
Blend approx 2-3 cups of the ingredient mixture in a blender or food processor, pulsing until chunky, not smooth. Collect the blended mixture in a second bowl.
Continue to blend one small batch at a time until approx 1/2 cup of the original mixture remains. Add this to the contents of the second bowl as is, without processing, and stir. Refrigerate for at least 2 hrs, and serve chilled. Garnish with basil or parsley. Yield: 6-7 cups
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