Earlier this week I had a brief discussion with one of my readers (let's call him No. 2) about the merits of melon. No. 2 is of the mind that melon is gross, but he chokes it down anyway for the sake of good nutrition.* Now, I have not been a lifelong lover of melon--once upon a time it was one of the many foods that I didn't like--but I've come to appreciate its unique natural sweetness and juicy texture. Also, melon is darn pretty. I've been going to my local market on Sundays, where there's a great selection of varieties I've never tried, like orange-fleshed watermelon and Magic Pumpkin. Intriguing, no? This week I'm hitting the melon cart first so I don't get bogged down with other purchases and end up with no room to carry one of those sluggers.
Further to my title here, I think I've had melon soups before, but since my recall is poor on this point they can't have been too memorable. Ultimately I'd rather eat the melon by itself then take it in liquid form, but I can see how it might be a nice palate cleanser or part of a light summery dessert.
Savory soups are much more gratifying, I think. With fall coming on I'm looking forward to some good soup & stew projects. Earlier this week I made a tomato bread soup that came out pretty tasty (and was a nice complement to a grilled two-cheese sandwich), but it didn't quite suit the warm weather we're having. I added some banana and anaheim peppers along with beefsteak tomatoes, spicy garlic, and thyme. Next time I'll need to use some hotter peppers to give it a little kick. Also, the blending was kind of tedious -- hand-held immersion blender is now on my kitchen tools wish list.
Happy Friday kids. I'm back to the grindstone over here, but I'll be getting my Chefty on tomorrow. A friend is throwing a birthday fete which includes a fairly elaborate menu, so I've volunteered to lend a hand. There's nothing I love more than a day full of cooking.
*I always thought melon was low on the nutritional totem pole, but it turns out that cantaloupe (my favorite, No. 2's least) has got loads of good stuff going on, including antioxidants and nitric oxide, which helps to prevent heart attacks. So, it looks like you can have your bacon as long as you have your cantaloupe too.
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