gazpacho Cool off with

All you need is a blender to whip up these easy recipes

If you’ve temporarily redefined “cooking” as grabbing a paleta out of the freezer, you know it’s August in San Antonio. The mercury will remain firmly in the mid- to upper 90s for the rest of the month, and nobody feels like cooking, especially after a hard day of work.

But it takes little more than a blender and 10 minutes of effort to whip up a refreshing and satisfying meal that will help beat the heat. The classic chilled Spanish soup gazpacho provides the perfect remedy. It’s also an ideal starting-off point for infinite gazpacho variations, and we’re giving you four to try because in this region, every cook has mastered the classic.

Gazpacho hails from Andalusia, a region of Spain well known for scorching temperatures of its own. In its earliest forms dating to the Roman empire, Gazpacho is believed to have been made from little more than water, olive oil, stale bread and garlic. It’s evolved considerably since then, significantly so after New World produce — namely tomatoes and

peppers — sailed abroad.

The best-known version of gazpacho here, one based on tomatoes and cucumber, is certainly a favorite for a reason: it’s incredibly flavorful, makes excellent use of seasonal summer produce and takes minutes to make.

Tomatillos and seasonal Hatch chiles — we bought them preroasted at the supermarket — bring gazpacho to the Southwest in another version. It’s a tangy and entirely different bowl of green.

Watermelon is an increasingly frequent gazpacho ingredient, often paired with tomato. We went with sweet red bell peppers instead for a thin and thirstquenching result similar to a watermelon agua fresca. It’s just as pleasing to sip from a cup as a bowl.

Ajo blanco, another chilled Spanish soup often referred to as “white gazpacho,” is similar to the early Roman gazpacho with the addition of crushed almonds and sliced grape garnish. Our version swaps extra creamy raw cashews for the almonds and gets a finishing touch of chile oil and pomegranate seeds.

The Indian subcontinent inspired our curried version of gazpacho. Spiced with ginger and garam masala and thickened with crumbled papadum, the crispy tortillalike discs of gram flour found in Indian restaurants and grocery, this bowl weighs in at well below 100 calories yet delivers maximum refreshment and flavor.

No matter how you make it, gazpacho is the perfect solution to this sweaty season. Fire up that blender and chill out. This simple soup starts thin and sweet, almost like an agua fresca, with a sharp and savory counterpoint from the feta cheese. It also works as a drink. Just skip the garnishes and pour the gazpacho into a glass.

4 1⁄2 cups seedless watermelon, cubed, divided 1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped

Zest and juice of 2

limes 2 tablespoons

olive oil

Sea salt, to taste Leaves from 4

mint sprigs

1⁄4 cup crumbled

feta cheese

Instructions: Place 4 cups of the watermelon, bell pepper, lime juice, olive oil and salt into a blender and puree until smooth. Transfer the soup to a container and refrigerate at least 2 hours. Divide the soup into 4 bowls and garnish with the lime zest, mint, feta and remaining watermelon cubes.

Makes 4 servings

Per serving: 151 calories, 9 g fat (3 g saturated fat), 8 mg cholesterol, 167 mg sodium, 17 g carbohydrates, 1 g dietary fiber, 13 g sugar, 3 g protein

Paul Stephen / Staff Gazpacho is a perfect way to beat the San Antonio heat. We've given the classic chilled Spanish soup a fresh look in four recipes.