Gazpacho!

Gazpacho, garnished with yogurt, balsamic vinegar, pine nuts, and olive oil,
served with cornmeal shrimp, and toasted bread.

It is going to be hot, hot, hot, in the Willamette Valley this weekend, making me not want to spend time in the kitchen tomorrow.  With that in mind, and summer vegetables readily available, I thought it was time to make this "make ahead" summer treat.

For those not framailiar with gazpacho, it is a chilled tomato soup, originating Andelucia region of Spain.  There are infinite variations to the recipes available, but I like this simple recipe.

Skill level:

Ingredients 

3 garlic cloves 

1/2 large cucumber, (not peeled) 

1 red bell pepper, cored and seeded 

3 large tomatoes 

1 yellow onion 

3 cups tomato juice 

1/4 cup white wine vinegar 

1/4 cup good olive oil 

2 teaspoons kosher salt 

1 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper 

1/2 cup chopped parsley 

1 teaspoon smoked paprika (if you do not have smoked, regular works well) 

Directions 

1. Roughly cut the cucumbers, bell peppers, tomatoes, and onions into 1 inch cubes. 
2. Put tomato juice,garlic, and 1/2 of the tomatoes in the blender. Blend two to three minutes, until smooth. 
3. Put the cucumbers, onion, peppers a food processor and pulse until it is coarsely chopped. 
4. Add remaining tomatoes, vinegar, oil, salt, paprika, black pepper, and chopped vegetables to the tomato juice mixture in the blender. Blend until vegetables are small, like one would find in salsa. 
5. Pour mixture into an air tight bowl, and add the parsley. Stir until combined. 
6. Place lid on container, and chill at least 2 hours 

Note: The longer gazpacho chills, the more the flavors develop. 

Garnish with fresh mint, pine nuts, balsamic vinegar, yogurt, sour cream, or cilantro

Attention Gazpacho Lovers, Try Making Chilled Tomato Bisque Soup!

One of my favorite summer treats is gazpacho; I absolutely love it on warm summer evenings. I make a couple of batches every summer.

Chilled TomatoBisque Soup, garnished
with olive oil and balsamic vinegar,
served with toasted French bread.

Last year, while searching got new gazpacho recipes, I found this recipe for Chilled Tomato Bisque Soup, which is extremely easy to prepare. I absolutely love this tomato delight, and have added it to my summer cooking rotation.

The creamy texture of this soup is fantastic, and comes from the cashews. It is really amazing, as if dairy products were included in the recipe! 

Like a good gazpacho, this recipe is great alternative on hot summer days. It is completely raw, requiring no time in front of a hot stove.  It is also both vegetarian, and vegan!

Skill level:

Chilled Tomato Bisque Soup 

3 cups chopped fresh tomatoes, de-seeded 

1/4 cup raw cashews, soaked 4 hours 

1/2 cup water 

1/2 teaspoon salt 

1/4 teaspoon black pepper 

1 tablespoon olive oil 

1 clove garlic 

1 tablespoon lemon juice (fresh squeezed is best)

1 teaspoon agave syrup 

2 tablespoons fresh basil, roughly chopped 

Place all of the ingredients in the blender and blend for 2-3 minutes, until creamy. Serve immediately or store in a tightly covered container (for up to 3 days) in the refrigerator. 

Serves 3-4 

Additional Notes:

• I do not mind traces of tomato seed in my soup, so I often skip deseeding the tomatoes.  A good blender will reduce most of them, anyway.
• If you do not have agave syrup, substitute honey or brown sugar.  It just adds a bit of richness to the soup.
• I garnish my soup with a splash of olive oil and balsamic vinegar.  It looks pretty, and really accents the flavors.
• If you do not have time to soak the raw cashews, boil them for about 20 minutes.  Soaking is preferable, as it gives the best creaminess, but boiling works well, too.
• I store left over soup in the refrigerator, in the blender container.  When ready to serve, I just but the blender container back on the motor base, and give the soup a couple of quick pulses to recombine any ingredients which may have separated.