Smoked Watermelon Gazpacho

Step 1

Preheat your Green Mountain Grill or your other grill to 350 degrees. While getting your grill heated up, finish slicing your veggies. One your grill is at temperature, put your veggies on. Check your veggies every so often to ensure they are not burning- the garlic and peppers will cook the quickest- don’t let the garlic burn, just put it on long enough to soften and get some smoke. As char marks form, turn the veggies over and let the other side cook. Ideally you are looking for good char marks and the veggies and watermelon to caramelize on the grill. NOTE, the watermelon will not get as charred as the rest of the veggies unless you sliced it extremely thin and that is okay. The inherent nature of this fruit having so much water content takes it longer to get char marks- be patient. As veggies develop the char marks, remove them and let them cool in a big bowl.

Step 2

Once all veggies have been remove, place them in the largest pot you have and get out your stick blender. Now, go ahead and add your additional ingredients: balsamic, olive oil, water, sea salt and pepper and the the basil leaves. Pulse the content with your immersion blender until it is pureed. Don’t over puree it, you want it to have the consistency of a fine salsa.

Step 3

Let chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour before serving. Garnish with additional basil. Great served with grilled bread as an appetizer, also great for a light lunch. Goat cheese or sliced avocado are also a great addition for garnish!

Step 4

Enjoy being the creative cook on your block- I promise your friends and family will rave over this recipe!