Melon gazpacho with feta
Ingredients
2 cantaloupe melons, 1/2 pint vegetable stock, 1/2 leek, 1 chilli pepper, butter, feta |
Traditionally gazpacho is made from raw ingredients, "salsa soup" I used to call it when I was little and because I'm an onion-wuss, only able to stomach them when they're chopped small and cooked so that I barely know they're there I was never much of a fan. My gazpacho uses the oniony flavour of cooked leek, and the sweetness of canteloupe to make a truly refreshing yet spicy summer soup.
1) Halve and de-seed the canteloupe, then excise the flesh from the tough skin.
2) Fry off 1/2 a leek and the chilli pepper in butter, then rinse them both clean of butter. Add to a blender with the canteloupe flesh and puree. I like to add a little vegetable stock to make this more savoury, but this is entirely to taste.
3) Parse through a blender to remove any remaining chunks, then serve chilled with crumbled chunks of feta.