#SamLikesItHot: Pineapple gazpacho

MANILA, Philippines – Never had gazpacho? That makes two of us.

Or at least I don’t ever recall having any. Perhaps it came in a shot glass (a common practice) and it didn’t occur to me that it was soup I was having. With the height of summer upon us, I figure now is as good a time as any to have it.

Gazpacho is a cold tomato-based soup that originates from Spain. While looking for recipes online, I chanced upon a random commenter raving about pineapple gazpacho.

Cold tomato sauce or fun, fruity pineapple gazpacho? It wasn’t a tough choice to make although fine, fine, I’m sure the classic version isn’t exactly “cold tomato sauce” either. 

After further digging, I found a pineapple gazpacho recipe and tweaked it a tiny bit to fit what I had on hand.

This recipe serves 4 and needs:

• 3 ½ cups chopped pineapple
• ½ cup unsweetened pineapple juice
• ½ cup chopped green bell pepper
• ¼ cup peeled and chopped cucumber
• ¼ cup chopped onion
• 2 t vinegar
• ½ t hot sauce
• ¼ t salt
• 1/8 t ground white pepper

To garnish:

A little bit of cucumber, green and red bell peppers, all finely chopped

1. A really lovely thing about this dish is that there is no cooking involved whatsoever. Once everything is peeled and chopped, the blender takes over. 

2. Start with the pineapple and pineapple juice. When done, transfer to a bowl and set aside.

A little tip: leave about a ½ cup of the pineapple puree in the blender to help get things going with the next ingredients.

3.  Add in the rest of the chopped vegetables and blend until smooth. Isn’t it so much easier with some liquid in the mix? 

When done, transfer to the same bowl as the pineapple puree. 

4. Season with salt, ground white pepper, vinegar, and hot sauce and mix well. 

I insist on an intermission of hot sauce because it’s my favorite condiment. In my constant search for The One, I’ve tried everything that has come my way, from Completely Pointless Red Sauce to Explosive Freaky Stuff. The latter was called Hottest F*cking Sauce, I kid you not, and as much as I really enjoy a kick it was way too over the top. A drop of it on pizza felt like a seizure, for crying out loud. 

This is my favorite find so far: Mama Sita’s hot pepper sauce. It’s locally made, very reasonably priced and really delivers on the heat. The funny thing is, there’s an exact same one that comes in a plastic bottle but it’s a completely different product. Stick with the glass bottle and you’re welcome.

5. Cover the bowl with cling wrap and refrigerate for at least two hours (but not more than 24 hours).

6. To serve, transfer to a bowl and garnish with finely chopped vegetables.

Pineapple gazpacho is…interesting. No doubt, it’s very fresh and summery and the flavors all work well together (I love the zing in the end) but I don’t think I would like starting off a meal with it because it’s too sweet and fruity.

My guinea pigs, Mother and Father, absolutely love it but I’m on the fence. Maybe I’d like it better if I had it with something savory like a sandwich so it would be like a…beverage. I think it would be fabulous with a swig of vodka. Is that wrong? 

To put it in clearly-soup territory, I would double or even triple the vegetables in this recipe with the addition of some crushed garlic and extra virgin olive oil. As is, perhaps adjusting the serving size could help. A shot of this served before or during a meal to wake up or cleanse the palate would be pretty awesome. 

And I wasn’t joking about turning this into a cocktail either. About that vodka… – Rappler.com

 

Check out our other recipes:

• #SamLikesItHot: Banana pops
• #SamLikesItHot: Peach mango pie
• #SamLikesItHot: Breakfast quesadillas
• #SamLikesItHot: Cold soba noodles
• #SamLikesItHot: Do-It-Yourself tapas
• #SamLikesItHot: Steak and watermelon salad
• #SamLikesItHot: Cutie cake pops
• #SamLikesItHot: Kesong puti salad with passion-ette
• #SamLikesItHot: Rigatoni with dark chocolate ragu
• #SamLikesItHot: Bananas About You pudding
• #SamLikesItHot: Chicken salad in pita pockets

Sam Oh is a professional TV and events host, radio jock, and foodie wannabe. Catch her on radio at 99.5 PlayFM, Monday to Friday, 6am-10am in “The Playground” with Tim Yap and Nikko. She is also a food blogger at Sam Likes It Hot. If you have questions or recipe requests, email desk@rappler.com with subject heading SAM LIKES IT HOT.