Thursday, July 10, 2008

Watermelon Soup

A few days ago, roomie and I made watermelon soup after all. It was weird at first and I wasn't sure I'd want it again. I am no watermelon or soup lover (though I'll eat either if proffered), and cold soups make me squeamish. But by the second day - as with any soup - the flavours had settled in and it was delicious! Now it will haunt me until I eat it again - a culinary highlight of summer 2008. I hope you will give it a try, it's really easy to make.




Watermelon Soup, courtesy of Self.com

For 8 servings:

6 lb yellow or red seedless watermelon, diced (9 cups)
2 tbsp chopped fresh mint
1 tbsp sugar (I used brown)
1 tsp chopped ginger (or more if you like)
1 cup lightly sweet white wine (such as Riesling)
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
8 tsp crumbled feta

Combine 1 cup of the watermelon with mint and sugar in a bowl. Set aside as reserve.

Blend remaining 8 cups watermelon, ginger, wine and lemon juice in a blender until smooth. Let sit 1/2 hour.

Strain soup. Divide among 8 bowls. Top each with reserved watermelon and crumbled feta. (Personally I just crumbled as much as I wanted on it, the saltiness is a wonderful complement to the fresh sweetness of the soup).

ENJOY!

(As we ate I joked that we could have skipped the feta, added vodka, and made watermelon cocktails...)

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

Now that is a combination I wouldn't have stumbled upon! There seem to be a bunch of watermelon recipes out there - several salads that I'm seeing. Did I read that right that you don't like soup?

Glo said...

...a perfect bowl and table setting for this refreshing looking presentation :) I'm trying to imagine the taste ~ it certainly plays with the tastebuds in my imagination. Thanks for sharing a slurp or two :)

Anonymous said...

my sister has been RAVING about this soup. Watermelon...........SOUP?!?!?!? *gags* LOL

and I read on Diva's that your fam is in Orangeville? I'm in Brampton which is only about 40mins south or Orangeville so YES.......I do know the winters here!

AmitL said...

Hi,Olivia-watermelon juice is ok,but,soup?that'd need some convincing,for me to try it.(I'm basically a 'safe'eater-only take things already tried and tested.haha)

Michelle G said...

mmmmmmmmm coctails

Olivia said...

Nikki - I dare you to try it. No soup lover, probably because I grew up in a cold climate and was forced to eat casseroles and nasty chunky meaty vegetably soups where the bean skins come loose from the beans, and get stuck in your throat. *gag*

See, a bad start.

But now, I do like a good tortilla soup....and I've loved my friend's mother's veggie consomme, and now of course there's the lovely watermelong soup!

*****

Glo - yes, roomie likes red highlights in her kitchen. A nice touch for a room where eating takes place :)

*****

Mylozmom - hey, no gagging till you've tried it. Where does your sis live? Maybe next time she makes it you could go over a give it a try? But tell her to invite you the day after she's made it. Seriously!

BTW, I know you're in Brampton so I knew you'd get the O'ville allusion (and they get more snow than Brampton and Kitchener!). Because last time I was there, when we were all still on 20six, you found out I had been there and suggested meeting up, course I was back in London by then.

*****

Amit - well, from all you know what I've said about soup and watermelons, it is now tried and tested AND approved - by me!

*****

Michy - and a couple of days later at the wine bar we saw watermelon cocktails on the menu.

Just now we had limeade and vodka with chopped mint, muddled blueberries, and sliced ginger. Very yummy indeed.

Christopher said...

It is absolutely amazing all the yummy things out there to make with fruit, that at first sound odd, but in the end you fall in love with it!

My fat little self (in the last year) has been on not so much a health food kick, just a kick of not eating a lot of processed foods if I can help it and cooking my own meals. I have been using Agave nectar as a sweetener in my foods in place of sugar and it works wonderfully, you of course have to adjust the nectar measurements but you get the hang of it awfully quick.

I make a pot of thai coconut milk curry every couple of weeks, which brings my neighbours and friends running, it is a surefire way to get someone to stop by, if you've got something simmering on the stove. I abhor having a phone, so I enjoy it when people just drop on by unannounced (like the days of old) and I am able to give them something to eat.

I don't have wireless in my apartment, but I am able to "piggyback" off of someone in the neighbourhood and even though it is a weak signal, I am able to surf, blog, and download music to my hearts content.

How is your summer going Livvie?

Olivia said...

Kissy - yes, I have been using Agave this year too, and am *never* going back to sugar. I'm glad that I can find it in at least 3 local stores so far, in fact it costs a dollar less at the Vitamin Shoppe than at the grocery or pharmacy.

I got fed up of piggybacking so a few days ago got a wireless router so I could use this apartment's hi speed internet. After all, I am paying half!

Anonymous said...

Your soup idea is new certainly new to me. Mom used to make a cool cucumber soup that was quite good. Nikki tried a cool beat soup that was pretty good but it was so, well, so pink!

neena maiya (guyana gyal) said...

Hmmm, I might give this a try one day.

I love soup.

I do a mean fish soup with red peas [beans] and other local things...eddo, sweet potatoes, pak choy. And don't forget a piece o' peppa.

The Moody Minstrel said...

Forget the soup! That list of ingredients sounds wonderful enough!

Miss Dallas said...

Soup? Nah. I'd opt for the cocktail!