This is a great dish for spring or summer. I came up with the basic recipe when my wife challenged me to make a gazpacho with fruit, but then I jazzed it up when I entered this at our annual Grill Off competition. There are many honeydew and cucumber soup recipes, but in mine I've added a roasted poblano for smokiness as well as cumin, additional fresh herbs and chilies. It can be served on it's own as an app or soup course, or serve it with some grilled shrimp for a complete dish.
Ingredients
1/2 to 1 ripe honeydew, seeded (about 4 cups)
1 poblano pepper
2 celery stalk, coarsely chopped
1/2 cucumber, peel on, coarsely chopped
2 jalapeños, stemmed, seeded, and chopped
1 fresh green Thai chile, stemmed, seeded, and minced
3 tsp fresh lime juice
Zest of 1 lime
1 tsp kosher salt, plus more to taste
1 tsp sugar, plus more to taste
1 tsp whole cumin, toasted
1 tsp whole all spice, toasted
1/4 cup packed fresh mint leaves
1/4 cup fresh basil
Directions
Roast the poblano pepper either in the oven, or over an open flame. Once all sides are black, place in a paper bag for 10 min. After the pepper has steamed, peel off the black skin. Place all the ingredients in a blender and blend till smooth. Next, strain the soup through a medium to fine mesh sieve. If you do not have one, I recommend using cheese cloth. Push the soup through to remove any solids.
If you want to get fancy garnish the soup with drops of good Olive Oil, a square of honeydew sprinkled with salt on a skewer, and a crispy prosciutto chip.
