Watermelon Soup

This is one of those recipes that I call "mostly raw" - it's all raw up until the feta. Furthermore, I'll concede that at least on paper this recipe looks kind of gross. In practice, though, it's light, slightly spicy and incredibly refreshing. I prefer my soups smooth and easily assembled, so where I roughly chop and puree you could easily finely dice and mince into a chunkier version.


Watermelon Soup
(serves 4-6)

4 c seedless watermelon, cubed
2 Roma tomatoes, chopped
1 serrano chile, chopped
1 cucumber, peeled, seeded and chopped
4 tbs red onion, chopped
2 tsp red wine vinegar
4 tbs fresh dill
1/3 c olive oil
Kosher salt
freshly ground pepper
handful of crumbled feta

1) Throw everything in a large bowl or blender and puree to desired consistency.

2) Correct the seasoning, and garnish with a sprinkling of dill and feta.

Chicken and Pesto Pasta

Putting the pesto to good use, a simple pasta and chicken dish that uses pantry staples. It's a pretty hearty and refreshing dish, and you can definitely mess with the quantities and tweak the ingredients to your liking.


Chicken and Pesto Pasta
(serves 4)

2 chicken breasts, brined and cut into small strips
large handful of chopped onion
1-2 tomatoes, seeded and chopped
3/4 - 1 c pesto
clove of garlic, sliced
8 leaves of fresh basil
1/2 c or so of Parmesan, grated
8 oz fusili
dash of wine/vermouth for deglazing
salt
pepper
handful of flour
pat of butter

1) Set a large pot of water to boil, and add a few pinches of salt, set a saute pan over medium heat.

2) In a plastic bag combine the flour, salt and pepper and toss the chicken pieces to coat, then saute them until nicely browned then remove to a dish.

3) Using a dash of wine or vermouth (or stock or water) deglaze the pan.

4) Drop the fusili; check package instructions but mine usually takes 12 minutes.

5) Add the pat of butter to the saute pan then toss in the garlic, tomatoes and onions with a pinch of salt and pepper.

5) When the onions and tomatoes are good and soft turn the heat down to its very lowest setting and return the chicken to the pan and add the capers; you're basically keeping everything warm at this point.

6) When the fusili is al dente pull from the water into the saute pan, turn off the heat and add the pesto. Give everything a good mix so it's well integrated.

7) Serve with grated Parmesan and a few fresh basil leaves.

Pesto

Our basil plants our thriving (yay!) and I'm pretty sure the best way to make good use of two cups of fresh basil leaves is to make a pesto.


Basic Pesto
(one cup)

2 c of fresh basil
1 clove garlic
3 tbs pine nuts
1/2 c olive oil
1/4 c grated Parmesan
large pinch of salt

1) Combine the basil, garlic, nuts and salt and grind into a paste (food processor or mortar and pestle).

2) Drizzle in the olive oil and continue to grind, then add the Parmesan a pinch at a time.

(to store for a couple weeks in the fridge, place in an airtight container and cover with a bit of olive oil)

Spicy Cucumber Soup

After having some truly delicious and refreshing cucumber soup in Charleston I wanted to devise my own, and of course that means it has a bit of a kick. There's a lot of ingredients but they're all pretty basic - besides, it makes a large batch! If you're worried about it being too spicy, leave out the 1/4 tsp of cayenne then add to taste at the end.

Spicy Cucumber Soup
(8 servings)

6 lbs cucumbers, peeled, seeded, and chopped
2 yellow bell peppers, seeded and chopped
4 green onions, chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, minced
2 tbs, fresh cilantro, finely chopped
1 tbs fresh mint, finely chopped
1 tbs fresh dill, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, mashed to a paste with 1 teaspoon salt
2 tsp of batch of assorted spices (1 tbs paprika, 1 tbs salt, 1 tbs garlic powder, 1/2 tbs black pepper, 1/2 tbs cayenne, 1/2 tbs oregano, 1/2 tbs thyme)
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
3 c plain yogurt
3 c sour cream, divided
3 tbs extra-virgin olive oil
2 tsp white wine vinegar
2 tbs fresh chives, minced

1) In a large bowl combine the cucumbers, bell peppers, green onions, jalapeno, cilantro, mint, dill, garlic, spices, salt, cayenne, yogurt, 2 c of the sour cream, olive oil and vinegar. Puree (I use an immersion blender).

2) Chill for a couple hours then taste and correct the seasoning. Serve with a spoonful of sour cream and the minced chives.