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Pineapple Gazpacho

Pineapple Gazpacho

by Victoria Challancin

If I take exception to all sorts of vegetable spreads being called "hummus" when they contain no chickpeas (remember: hummus simply means "chickpea" in Arabic), then surely I should not allow myself to call this delicious summer soup "gazpacho" simply because it is served chilled with some garnishes. Yet, I do. I'll rely on Ralph Waldo Emerson's quote "A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds..." as my excuse.

I love to serve chilled soups when the weather is hot here in Mexico. First of all, we have a glorious array of fresh fruits and vegetables available year round. Secondly, they are just pretty to serve and tasty as well.

I wrote about the history of Spain's famed gazpachos here, and have offered several cold soups, both savory and sweet in the following posts:

Moroccan Gazpacho (cool, easy, exotic, and soooo delicious)
Chilled Gazpacho and Tzatziki Soups (a two-toned beauty)
Tomatillo Gazpacho with Feta-Olive Relish (unusual, snappy)
Chilled Melon, Cucumber, and Coconut Milk Soup (a nice variation with the coconut milk)
Chilled Roasted Yellow Pepper-Mango Soup (proof that you can never use too many mangoes)
Chilled Zucchini Soup with Purslane (a little different--and so lovely)

This particular "gazpacho" recipe comes from The Washington Post, who adapted it from Edible: A Celebration of Local Foods, by Tracey Rider and Carole Topalian. It relies on no broth, rather it simply uses pureed fruits and vegetables for its base: pineapple, yellow bell pepers, onion, and cucumber--plus 1/4 cup of water or pineapple juice are added to thin the soup if needed. To round out the flavors, a touch of rice wine vinegar, hot pepper sauce, and a wee bit of brown sugar are added. Garnishes include chopped both red and bell peppers, cucumber, jalapeño chile, and cilantro--plus, I added chopped jícama.

Cook's Notes: You can be sure that I didn't bother to measure the ingredients carefully. While I am certain that the recipe is perfect as written, this seems to me to be one of those glorious melding of mellifluous ingredients that just seem to go together in whatever amounts most appeal to the cook. I also added chopped jícama, just because I love its sweet crunch.

Recipe: Pineapple Gazpacho

(Recipe from The Washington Post, adapted from Edible: A Celebration of Local Foods by Tracey Ryder and Carole Topalian)

Make Ahead: The soup needs to be refrigerated for at least 2 hours and no more than 24 hours. The flavor will improve with a day's refrigeration.

For the gazpacho:

1 ripe pineapple (about 4 pounds), peeled, cored, and cut into chunks (about 4 1/2 cups)

About 12/ medium yellow bell pepper, seeded, chopped (1/2 cup)

1/3 medium red onion, chopped (1/3 cup)

1 cup peeled seedless (English) cucumber, chopped

2 teaspoons unseasoned rice wine vinegar, plus more as needed

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more as needed

1/8 teaspoon ground white pepper, plus more as needed

1 teaspoon light brown sugar (optional)

For the garnish:

About 1/4 medium red bell pepper seeded and finely chopped (1/4 cup)

About 1/4 medium yellow bell pepper, seeded and finely chopped (1/4 cup)

4-inch length of peeled seedless (English ) cucumber, finely chopped (1/2 cup)

One medium jalapeño chile, stemmed, seeded, and finely chopped

Leaves from 2 stems of cilantro or mint, finely chopped (1 tablespoon), optional

To make the gazpacho: Process the pineapple in the bowl of a food processor until smooth; transfer to a large nonreactive bowl, preferably glass or stainless steel. Taste; if the fruit puree is not very sweet, add the optional brown sugar.

Using the same food processor bowl, add the yellow bell pepper, red onion, cucumber, vinegar, salt, and white pepper. Process until smooth, then add the mixture to the pineapple puree in the bowl and stir to combine. Cover and refrigerate for 2 to 24 hours.

For the garnish: Combine the garnish ingredients in a bowl.

To assemble: Stir in the pineapple juice or water, 1 tablespoon at a time, into the pureed gazpacho to reach the desired consistency. Taste and adjust the seasoning as needed.

Divide among individual bowls; top each portion with the garnish. Serve immediately.