Cold Melon Soup With Prosciutto ©

 

 

 

This is an unexpectedly delicious and refreshing soup! So Italian and “““SO GOOD!

 

Easy and Impressive!

 

4-6 persons

 

Ingredients

2 Ripe Melons

2-3 lemon juice

2-3 tbs honey depending on sweetness of Melons

2 tsp thick Greek yogurt per serving

2 tbs freshly cut Mint

a dash of Vodka ( optional )

“Sweet” Paprika ( Not the hot kind )

A slice of prosciutto per person

Grissini

Parsley leaves to decorate and  1×1 cm cubes of melon

a little extra fresh mint added at the last minute

Method

1. Choose perfectly ripe melons. When you cut them open, they should smell sweet. If they are over-ripe, they will smell sharp. In this case discard…….. To help you choose your melon, smell it. It should have a perfume, be firm to the touch and may be just giving in, at the stork. If too soft, it will be over-ripe!

2. Wash and cut melon in half. Using a spoon, remove seeds and scoop out flesh and place in blender.Save a little to make melon cubes for decoration at the end. Remove up to the point that the melon is ripe and yellow. No further than 1 cm from the skin. Once the colour changes to green, it is no longer suitable for use.

3.  Place melon in bowl, (if you wish at this point you can pass it through a sieve for an even smoother finish.)  Add  sieved lemon juice and honey. The final result should be sweet, so the honey you add, will depend on the ripeness of the melon. If consistency is too thick, dilute with a little water.

6. Add a splash of Vodka, and a pinch of salt and mint, mix well.

7. Using a soup ladle spoon the soup into the serving plates and place in fridge to thoroughly chill. 1 hour at least.

8. Five minutes before serving, wrap prosciutto around grissini. Place across soup bowl, decorate with parsley leaves and spoon in two tsp of thick yogurt, extra finely chopped mint and melon cubes. Dust with “Sweet Paprika” using a small sieve.

9. It is important to serve as cold as possible.

N.B  Mint blackens soon after chopping, so for decoration, chop at last minute.

Be careful to try the paprika first, it is the “Sweet Paprika” you must use, NOT the hot kind!

Wash and cut melons in half.

Scoop out seeds and discard, then scoop out melon, as much as you think is ripe, no further…..

Place melon in blender, saving a little to make melon cubes for decoration.

Pulse melon until completely smooth 3-5 minutes.

Pass through sieve, if for special occasion to get an extra smooth finish.

Role up fresh mint leaves and chop finely. Add to soup, together with honey and lemon juice. Mix well.

Add two tsp of thick Greek yogurt. Role prosciutto around grissini and lay across

soup bowl.Decorate with parsley leaves, chopped mint and melon cubes. Dust generously with sweet paprika,

the kind that is NOT hot!

Final Result !