Tom Udall can call himself the best cook in Congress this year. As long as he gives his wife, Jill, some credit.

Udall won the Congressional Cookoff, according to the Albuquerque Journal’s Michael Coleman, with a “major assist” from Jill. Udall (or is that the Udalls?) cooked a Watermelon “Sandia” Pine Nut Gazpacho and won Best in Show at the March of Dimes Gourmet Gala in Washington on May 4.
 Coleman, the Journal’s political writer/food-critic-for-a-day, wrote of the dish:

The chilled concoction was delicious. Light, refreshing and sweet with just a hint of kick from the Serrano peppers, I can see why the judges liked it so much. If the Udalls were serving this up for a bunch of New Mexicans, they might turn up the heat just a bit with a little more Serrano. But the Washington crowd is notoriously wimpy when it comes to spicy food, so they did right by those attending this event.

If you want the recipe for the winning soup, then all you have to do is head over to the Journal’s site and see Coleman’s post.