Summer licuados

Not sure what happened to spring, exactly. I suppose a late arrival doesn’t necessarily push back what comes next, but I had hoped we’d have a few more weeks between down jackets and tank tops.

That said, there’s plenty to look forward to here. We’ve grilled every night since we brought home our new grill, our home life seems to have shifted entirely to the porch, and yesterday at the market I bought a big, red, ripe tomato. A tomato! Three months ago, sick with Tundra Vision, I never thought I’d see this day again.

Memorial Day was a hot and heavy one, and I mean that in the least fun way possible, and in the hour or two before we really awake and had breakfast on the table, I blended a honeydew licuado to stave off hunger and defend against the heat. A licuado (also known as a “batido”) is a Latin American version of a smoothie, generally simpler than its northern counterpart with one or maybe two fruits, some milk (usually), and a small bit of ice and other flavorings. I’m not a big smoothie drinker, usually finding them a bit too acidic and on the wrong side of both beverage and meal (too heavy to be the former, too light to be the latter), but a licuado is a light, more refreshing alternative that is perfect for summer. They’re meant to be consumed immediately after blending, since they separate a bit as they sit, but they’re also meant to be an icy cold respite in very warm places, so it’s not difficult to get them down quickly.

I’m on kind of a licuado bandwagon at the moment and have plans for quite a few variations, but we’ll start here and I’ll update as I try new variations. I’m particularly excited about the honeydew version at the moment, all frothy and the most beautiful pale tint of green. I’ve been doing it with regular milk and/or light coconut milk, which is particularly delicious. Soy, rice, or other milk alternatives would all work pretty well. You could also try mango, papaya, strawberries (which might need a bit of sugar added as well), or bananas (maybe with a dash of cinnamon?) – those are all pretty common licuado flavors in places I’ve traveled. I’ve included a recipe for a watermelon licuado as well, which doesn’t include milk but is even more refreshing.

Enjoy!

Honeydew (or other melon) licuado

Makes 1 licuado of about 12 ounces, easily scalable

• Around 1 cup cubed melon (other than watermelon), cold if possible
• Around 1/2 cup cold milk (cow’s milk, light coconut milk, soy milk, etc. – I particularly love coconut milk)
• A splash of vanilla extract or, even better, vanilla bean paste (you’ve probably heard me talk about the paste before – I buy the large bottles and keep it in a squeeze bottle in my kitchen and use it exclusively instead of extract)
• 2-3 ice cubes

– Blend all ingredients in blender until smooth. I have a Magic Bullet, which is kind of a silly thing but absolutely perfect for this sort of thing. A Vitamix would make easy work of this as well, as would any other blender that can easily break down ice.

Watermelon licuado (milk-free)

Makes 1 licuado of about 12 ounces, easily scalable

• About 1 cup cubed watermelon – if you’ve cut one up and there are juices in the bottom of the bowl or container, include a bit of that as well.
• A splash of vanilla extract or, even better, vanilla bean paste (you’ve probably heard me talk about the paste before – I buy the large bottles and keep it in a squeeze bottle in my kitchen and use it exclusively instead of extract)
• A squeeze of lime juice (if you have it)
• 2-3 ice cubes

– Blend all ingredients in blender until smooth. See notes about the blender in the recipe above.