Gazpacho de melón

Ingredients

• 1½ lbmelonflesh, seeded and peeled; watermelon, honeydew or cantaloupe
• 1⅛ lbtomatoescored and diced
• 2 clovesgarlicpeeled
• 1onionroughly chopped; or 2 shallots
• 4 tbspolive oilblended into the soup
• 2 tbspLemon juiceor lime juice
• 1 bunchbasilblended in or finely chopped and stirred in
• 1½ tsppaprikahot, optionally partly sweet; for seasoning
• 1chiliseeded; or a pinch of chili powder
• saltto taste
• pepperto taste
• 1cucumberdiced, blended in (optional)
• 4white breadslices; half soaked to thicken, the rest toasted as croutons (optional)
• 2bell pepperblended, some finely diced for garnish (optional)
• 2 tbspSherry vinegarfor acidity (optional)
• 2 tbsppine nutsdry-toasted, roughly chopped for topping (optional)

Method

1. Prepare the melonIdeally, use the melon and tomatoes well chilled, straight from the fridge. Halve the melon, scoop out the seeds, peel it and dice the flesh. Finely dice a small piece and set it aside for the garnish.
2. Chop the vegetablesCore and dice the tomatoes, roughly chop the red onion and peel the garlic. Seed the chili. If you're using cucumber or red pointed peppers, roughly chop those too. Finely dice a little of the tomato, red pointed pepper and cucumber and keep it back for the garnish.
3. Soak bread for thickeningIf you'd like to thicken the gazpacho with bread, briefly soak half of the sandwich bread slices in water, then squeeze them out well.
4. Blend until smoothPut the melon, tomatoes, onion, garlic, chili, any other vegetables and the soaked bread into a blender. Add the basil, olive oil and lemon juice and blend everything until smooth. Alternatively, finely chop the basil and stir it in later.
5. Season the gazpachoSeason the gazpacho with salt, black pepper and paprika. If you like, round it off with a splash of sherry vinegar.
6. Add the diced garnishStir in the finely diced melon and the vegetables you set aside, or save them to scatter over the bowls later.
7. Toast croutons and pine nutsFor the topping, cut the remaining bread into cubes and toast them in a dry pan until golden to make croutons. Toast the pine nuts in a dry pan as well until fragrant, then chop them roughly.
8. Serve well chilledPour the well-chilled gazpacho into bowls or glasses and scatter the croutons or pine nuts over just before serving.

Tips and variations

You can take your pick of melon: watermelon keeps the gazpacho light and bright, while honeydew or cantaloupe make it rounder and sweeter. If you like, thicken it with soaked bread and add a few capers. A cucumber makes it even fresher, and with red pointed peppers, celery, a little vegetable stock, water and sherry vinegar you get a more savoury version. Swapping the basil for coriander gives it a completely different character. You can even leave out the oil and acid altogether and simply blend the vegetables with the spices. Serve it properly cold, and add the croutons or pine nuts right at the end so they stay crisp.