Since spring is officially here, my mood is officially looking for some light and fresh recipes, and what’s fresher than gazpacho? Cold soups are always wonderful for hot days, and nutritious too. I wanted to keep some of the flavors of a traditional gazpacho with peppers, cucumbers and garlic but give it a vibrant green color, so I added arugula, green peppers and basil…and some creaminess by adding Greek yogurt. I really loved this gazpacho and will make it again when I have guests.

This gazpacho has no tomato, unlike the traditional Gazpacho “Andalou”, but it seems like there are so many different variations of this cold soup throughout Spain, that there is not one traditional recipe that is known to be the “right” one. So please play with it, you will not offend anyone. I still think that cuisine needs to evolve throughout times, and change to represent our modern lifestyle and current nutritional needs.

If you are interested in other gazpacho recipes, here is a watermelon gazpacho with goat cheese and a strawberry gazpacho, that are getting more popular in restaurants in France.

Ingredients for 2

• 1 green bell pepper
• 1/2 English cucumber, peeled and seedless
• 1/4 yellow onion, diced
• 1 cup arugula
• 1/2 cup basil leaves
• 3 garlic cloves
• 2 sticks celery, cut in pieces
• 2 slices white bread without crust, cut in pieces
• chili powder (to taste)
• sherry vinegar
• olive oil
• 3/4 cups water or more
• 3 tbs Greek yogurt
• a few drops of lemon oil
• salt and pepper

Preparation

Place all the ingredients in a large container, except for the yogurt and lemon oil. Let marinate for at least one hour in the refrigerator. Mix all ingredients in a blender to obtain a smooth texture. You might want to adjust the water quantity to liquefy the consistency.

Add the yogurt and mix a little longer. Drizzle with lemon oil and decorate with small diced bell pepper and paprika.

A good friend of mine is half Basque, so one day, while browsing through her cookbooks, I found a very interesting book on Basque cuisine, written by Gerald Hirigoyen, an amazing Basque chef who owns a few restaurants in San Francisco, among which Bocadillos and Piperade.

One particular recipe really caught my attention just because I never saw lychees in Basque cuisine; Litchi (or lychee) is an Asian fruit, mainly grown in China and is considered a tropical fruit for us. In France, you can find lychees almost anywhere and we eat a lot of them, but only as a fruit; it’s mainly sold during winter time, and I have never really seen it incorporated into a main course.

The natural sweetness of scallops blends beautifully with fruits, and I could not stop thinking about this recipe…I finally decided to give it a try, but twisting things around a little, changed a few ingredients and added some cayenne pepper, it  gave the dish a little kick and I love it. I will definitely serve it again when I have a dinner party.

The gazpacho is slightly fruity but not too sweet and very smooth, when combined with the crunchiness of the cucumber is a perfect harmony of textures.

The scallops need to be very fresh, I used the jumbo ones, make sure to pat them dry, to remove all excess water, so they are able to brown well.

Ingredients for 4

• 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
• 2 English cucumbers, peeled
• 12 lychees
• 1 large tomato, peeled, cored and diced
• cayenne pepper
• 1 tbs lemon juice
• 1/4 cup olive oil + 2 tbs
• 8 large scallops
• 1 tbs mint chiffonade
• salt and pepper

Preparation

Bring balsamic vinegar to a boil, then reduce heat and cook for about 10 minutes, until the vinegar has reduced to a syrup consistency. Set aside.

Cut half of the cucumber in half lengthwise, remove seeds and chop one half. Using a mandoline, julienne the other half to form some spaghetti strands with the cucumber. Throw away the seeds. Place julienne in a bowl and sprinkle with salt, toss to coat and set aside for 15 minutes.

Peel lychee and remove the seed. In a blender, combine lychees, tomato, chopped cucumber, lemon juice, cayenne, olive oil, salt and pepper. Process to obtain a smooth consistency. Cover and refrigerate.

Rub scallops on both sides with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Heat a griddle or cast-iron skillet and saute scallops over high heat, for about 1 to 2 minutes or until golden brown.

Divide lychee gazpacho among 4 plates. Rinse julienne cucumber with cold water and pat dry with paper towels. Toss with mint and place some in the center of the gazpacho. Mount with two scallops in the center and drizzle with balsamic reduction.

]]> http://citronetvanille.com/blog/2010/07/an-exotic-gazpacho-scallops-with-lychee-gazpacho/feed/ 27 http://citronetvanille.com/blog/2009/07/chilled-soup-to-absolutely-try-watermelon-and-tomato-gazpacho-with-goat-cheese-and-basil/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=chilled-soup-to-absolutely-try-watermelon-and-tomato-gazpacho-with-goat-cheese-and-basil http://citronetvanille.com/blog/2009/07/chilled-soup-to-absolutely-try-watermelon-and-tomato-gazpacho-with-goat-cheese-and-basil/#comments Thu, 23 Jul 2009 01:27:24 +0000 silvia http://www.citronetvanille.com/blog/?p=2641 Soupe glacée à essayer absolument – Gaspacho de pastèque et tomates au chèvre et basilic

Una zuppa fredda da fare assolutamente – Gaspacho d’anguria con pomodori, formaggio di capra e basilico

If you like regular gazpacho, you’ll like this one too. I promise. At first, when I heard a friend had a wonderful soup in a restaurant in Paris, a watermelon soup with goat cheese, I was all curious about it but did not ask too many questions since that was not the point of the conversation. After thinking about it, I figured it would obviously something cold, somehow similar to gaspacho but I was a little concerned about the watermelon sweetness. 

The other ingredient that would definitely go in this soup, was basil. I have this pot of basil almost ready to die on the balcony, so I decided to use the leaves that were still green and in shape. I don’t know why but anytime I buy a pot of basil, it does not last long, two weeks at best. It sits on the balcony with great sun exposure, I water it almost every day, and it just dies. Unfortunately, it seems like I am not a great gardener, in French we say ne pas avoir la main verte, literally translated by “not to have a green hand”. Even with the best of my intentions, plants die around me. 

The watermelon is a wonderful fruit perfect for those who want to keep their weight down, refreshing and summery, it reminds me of my Italian vacations growing up, where trucks filled with huge oval watermelons were sitting along the roads leading to the beach. I think we tend to forget how delicious and refreshing watermelon can be, and even if we privilege other fruits during summer, let’s not forget to add it in our diet. 

This soup tends to be a little on the sweet side, but enhanced with balsamic vinegar, tomatoes and goat cheese, it is “THE” summer soup and you need to try it. Make sure to chill it well, the chiller, the better.

Ingredients for 4

• 1/2 medium size watermelon (seedless)
• 3 tomatoes, seedless, chopped
• 1/2 green bell pepper
• 2 tbs balsamic vinegar
• 2 tbs olive oil
• 2 cups vegetable broth or more as needed
• 1 tbs chopped basil
• 4 slices goat cheese
• hot chili pepper powder
• salt and pepper

Preparation

Cut watermelon in cubes. Add tomatoes and all other ingredients except for the goat cheese. Let marinate for about one hour. Blend the mixture, and add a slice of goat cheese in the middle. Grind black fresh pepper on top.

Serve very chilled.