I've been making gazpacho for years but have hesitated to write down a recipe. I like changing it up each time depending on what veggies I have available (/remember to buy). I only make it about once a year, at the peak of summer when all of the ingredients are at their ripest. Having awesome tomatoes is key. At the suggestion of Joan at One Straw Farm, our CSA purveyor, we've been using a combination of big pink heirloom tomatoes (pink brandywine?) and more garden-variety, tart red tomatoes. The pink brandywine have a sweet, delicate flavor and beautiful color. They keep the soup from becoming too tangy.
One of my favorite things about making gazpacho is how the color changes with every ingredient you add: pink with the tomato juice, green with the cucumber & green pepper, purple-flecked with the red onion, and then back to red with the addition of the tomato chunks. I always have a moment where I'm afraid the red + green +purple soup will turn icky brown, but, defying laws of physics and art, it never does. I wish I had taken photos. Today's project was a messy business, though, and had I tried, my camera may have died a juicy, delicious death.
Gazpacho
(inspired by Joy of Cooking and One Straw Farm)
Find a large bowl or pot in which to mix your soup and a food processor or blender in which to prepare the ingredients. I used a blender today, but I think a food processor is a better choice because you have more control over how fine to chop your ingredients.
Peel and seed tomatoes (about 5 lbs), two cucumbers, two green bell peppers, and 1 jalapeno.
Make or pour 2c tomato juice (I blend one brandywine pink tomato.)
Finely process and add two cucumbers, two green peppers, and 1 jalapeno pepper (I process them to just short of a puree.)
Finely process and add 1 small red onion, a full 1/3c parsley, and 3 cloves garlic.
Coarsely process and add ~4 lbs tomatoes (I used four medium-sized red tomatoes and one large pink)
Add 1/4c EVOO, 1T lemon juice, 1T balsamic vinegar, and 1T red wine vinegar.
Add 1t salt.
Refrigerate for 2+ hours before serving to allow the flavors to blend.
Enjoy!
Saturday, July 30, 2011
Fried Green Tomatoes
Last week, friends of ours kindly volunteered to pick out our CSA veggies while we were out of town (eating a delicious, fancy schmancy brunch at the "Tabbard Inn" in DC. Just thinking about that brunch... mmmm...) They chose some beautiful, green/orange tomatoes. Here they are with some nectarine-friends:
After oo-ing and ahh-ing over how perfect they looked and smelled, I realized I had no idea what to do with them. So, like a good Southerner, I turned to my Hoppin' John cookbooks for inspiration. He has fried green tomato (of course) and green tomato soup recipes. I made both! Well, I didn't make his fried tomato recipe, but he inspired me to try my own. I don't like deep frying things because having that much hot oil on my stove makes me nervous. I used the same technique I use to fry tofu, inspired by this 101 cookbooks hit.
First set up your fry-station with one scrambled egg in a shallow bowl, Italian-herbed bread crumbs mixed with some Parmesan cheese in another, and 1-2T EVOO in a frying pan. I liked to line them up along my stove in that order with a stack of paper towels at the end.
Heat the oil over medium heat. Slice your tomatoes ~1/2" thick. Dip each slice in the egg, then the bread crumbs, and then drop them into the oil. After a few minutes, the first side will look golden-brown. Flip them to fry the other side, adding more oil if needed. When the second side is done, remove the tomatoes and place them on the paper towel stack.
This blots away some of the oil, making them more crispy and less greasy. Another tip I've heard to make fried green tomatoes less greasy is to chill the tomato slices in an ice bath before frying them. I'm too lazy to try this, but I bet it would work well.
Here's the finished product:
We had them with the 101 cookbooks soba noodle recipe linked above, one of my all-time favorite.
Yum!
After oo-ing and ahh-ing over how perfect they looked and smelled, I realized I had no idea what to do with them. So, like a good Southerner, I turned to my Hoppin' John cookbooks for inspiration. He has fried green tomato (of course) and green tomato soup recipes. I made both! Well, I didn't make his fried tomato recipe, but he inspired me to try my own. I don't like deep frying things because having that much hot oil on my stove makes me nervous. I used the same technique I use to fry tofu, inspired by this 101 cookbooks hit.
First set up your fry-station with one scrambled egg in a shallow bowl, Italian-herbed bread crumbs mixed with some Parmesan cheese in another, and 1-2T EVOO in a frying pan. I liked to line them up along my stove in that order with a stack of paper towels at the end.
Heat the oil over medium heat. Slice your tomatoes ~1/2" thick. Dip each slice in the egg, then the bread crumbs, and then drop them into the oil. After a few minutes, the first side will look golden-brown. Flip them to fry the other side, adding more oil if needed. When the second side is done, remove the tomatoes and place them on the paper towel stack.
This blots away some of the oil, making them more crispy and less greasy. Another tip I've heard to make fried green tomatoes less greasy is to chill the tomato slices in an ice bath before frying them. I'm too lazy to try this, but I bet it would work well.
Here's the finished product:
We had them with the 101 cookbooks soba noodle recipe linked above, one of my all-time favorite.
Yum!
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Menu: Mom's Midweek Visit
Mom came up for a midweek visit. Dad's away on business and, well, when the cat's away the mice will play. Or something. In preparation for my shopping, I asked her what she wanted. She thought for a moment and very forlornly said, "cheese?" I'm always happy to oblige requests for cheese. I decided to up the ante with some chocolate, too. Living large. Anyhow, I thought the menu came together very nicely so I figured I'd post the whole thing!
Appetizer: whole wheat toast + Ghirardelli 60% cacao squares + EVOO + sea salt, placed under the broiler for 2-3 minutes. Kate and I made something similar to this years ago out of a tapas cookbook she had.
Dinner: kale salad (courtesy of mom), salmon (the same), grilled tuna, and panzanella. I've seen panzanella all over the place lately--smitten kitchen, bon appetit, ads for tuna. I figured it was time. Anyhow, I used Joy of Cooking's recipe and added feta. It was amazing.
Dessert: blue cheese & seed crackers, almonds, dried apricots, & more chocolate.
Yum!
Appetizer: whole wheat toast + Ghirardelli 60% cacao squares + EVOO + sea salt, placed under the broiler for 2-3 minutes. Kate and I made something similar to this years ago out of a tapas cookbook she had.
Dinner: kale salad (courtesy of mom), salmon (the same), grilled tuna, and panzanella. I've seen panzanella all over the place lately--smitten kitchen, bon appetit, ads for tuna. I figured it was time. Anyhow, I used Joy of Cooking's recipe and added feta. It was amazing.
Dessert: blue cheese & seed crackers, almonds, dried apricots, & more chocolate.
Yum!
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Potato Salad Success (or, what I ate on Saturday)
Once again, Saturday was my red letter day for cooking. The day started out with a trip to the farmer's market, as per usual. Our brunch was waffles with sauteed apples. I'm not satisfied with my waffle recipes yet. I've been working mostly out of Joy and usually use at least some whole wheat flour. They taste good but aren't nice and crispy. Does anybody have any tips for making a crispier waffle?
Anyhow, the real success of the day came with dinner. One could call it "Farm Box Reject Variety Show" or, more flatteringly, "A Summer Salad Spectacular." I had a few farm box items that, for a variety of reasons, had been lurking in my fridge for >1 week and seriously needed to be used. Part of the problem (if this is really a problem) is that I had some unexpected free food opportunities over the past week. Anyhow, I needed to get rid of a sliver of red cabbage, some beet roots, lettuce, a pepper, and potatoes stat. I created a beet and red cabbage salad based on Jo's recipe, though of course I substituted red cabbage for the carrots. I also used almond oil rather than walnut, added sunflower seeds, and topped with sliced purple/green bell pepper. It made for a lovely presentation when placed atop some large red cabbage leaves in a bowl.
I also made a french potato salad based off of Ina Garten's recipe in The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook (referred to below as BCC). Let's get this out of the way right now: I love Barefoot Contessa and I love this cookbook! Everything I've made from this book has been fabulous, and Garten's style conveys her love of food so much that it makes you love it, too. Ok, plug over. Anyhow, I started with her recipe and adjusted the ingredients to fit my pantry and taste. My version has significantly less oil, uses different herbs, and adds celery and eggs. I include her original ingredients next to mine when I made a substitution of necessity so that if you are blessed with a fuller pantry you can decide between the two. Either take is an entirely different beast from the American mayo-ful potato salad.
French Potato Salad
1 qt small red potatoes
2 eggs
1.5 stalks celery
2T wine (I used red, BCC calls for white)
2T veggie stock
3T rice wine vinegar (BCC: champagne vinegar)
1t Dijon mustard
1/2t salt
1/2t black pepper
3T EVOO
Some (8-10ish) chives, chopped
Some (6-8ish) basil leaves, chiffonaded
Boil potatoes in salted water until cooked through, 20-35 min.
Hard boil eggs (I use Joy's cold water start method)
When potatoes are cool enough to handle, cut into quarters (or halves, or 8ths, depending on the size/your preference). Do not drop a potato into your toaster (how did that even happen?)
Place in a bowl, drizzle with the stock and wine, and toss gently with a spoon.
Allow the liquids to soak into the potatoes before adding any more ingredients.
Make the dressing by whisking together vinegar, mustard, salt, and pepper. Pour over the potatoes.
Slice the eggs and the celery and add to the potatoes.
Add the fresh herbs.
Toss gently with a spoon to mix.
Serve over a bed of lettuce or eat solo.
You could monkey around with this recipe a lot, depending on what you have available. Tomatoes and dill would be a good addition, as would green onions and parsley if you leave out the celery and chives. Or how about olives? I think I should make it again next weekend and find out.
Until next time (next Saturday?) !
Anyhow, the real success of the day came with dinner. One could call it "Farm Box Reject Variety Show" or, more flatteringly, "A Summer Salad Spectacular." I had a few farm box items that, for a variety of reasons, had been lurking in my fridge for >1 week and seriously needed to be used. Part of the problem (if this is really a problem) is that I had some unexpected free food opportunities over the past week. Anyhow, I needed to get rid of a sliver of red cabbage, some beet roots, lettuce, a pepper, and potatoes stat. I created a beet and red cabbage salad based on Jo's recipe, though of course I substituted red cabbage for the carrots. I also used almond oil rather than walnut, added sunflower seeds, and topped with sliced purple/green bell pepper. It made for a lovely presentation when placed atop some large red cabbage leaves in a bowl.
I also made a french potato salad based off of Ina Garten's recipe in The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook (referred to below as BCC). Let's get this out of the way right now: I love Barefoot Contessa and I love this cookbook! Everything I've made from this book has been fabulous, and Garten's style conveys her love of food so much that it makes you love it, too. Ok, plug over. Anyhow, I started with her recipe and adjusted the ingredients to fit my pantry and taste. My version has significantly less oil, uses different herbs, and adds celery and eggs. I include her original ingredients next to mine when I made a substitution of necessity so that if you are blessed with a fuller pantry you can decide between the two. Either take is an entirely different beast from the American mayo-ful potato salad.
French Potato Salad
1 qt small red potatoes
2 eggs
1.5 stalks celery
2T wine (I used red, BCC calls for white)
2T veggie stock
3T rice wine vinegar (BCC: champagne vinegar)
1t Dijon mustard
1/2t salt
1/2t black pepper
3T EVOO
Some (8-10ish) chives, chopped
Some (6-8ish) basil leaves, chiffonaded
Boil potatoes in salted water until cooked through, 20-35 min.
Hard boil eggs (I use Joy's cold water start method)
When potatoes are cool enough to handle, cut into quarters (or halves, or 8ths, depending on the size/your preference). Do not drop a potato into your toaster (how did that even happen?)
Place in a bowl, drizzle with the stock and wine, and toss gently with a spoon.
Allow the liquids to soak into the potatoes before adding any more ingredients.
Make the dressing by whisking together vinegar, mustard, salt, and pepper. Pour over the potatoes.
Slice the eggs and the celery and add to the potatoes.
Add the fresh herbs.
Toss gently with a spoon to mix.
Serve over a bed of lettuce or eat solo.
You could monkey around with this recipe a lot, depending on what you have available. Tomatoes and dill would be a good addition, as would green onions and parsley if you leave out the celery and chives. Or how about olives? I think I should make it again next weekend and find out.
Until next time (next Saturday?) !
Sunday, July 3, 2011
Tomato Pie and Seared Cabbage
Saturday was another good day for food (this seems to be a pattern). I took the bus to the farmer's market, which means that instead of scurrying away after picking up my farm share, I had time to loiter. I found a stand that has "seconds" tomatoes--I got 5 big, ripe, juicy tomatoes for $2 and they were only slightly bruised. In fact, had I grown them, I would've been quite proud that something so pretty had come out of my garden. Also found some okra. With those finds, plus this week's farm share, plus the stuff left over from last week, I have committed us to eating a lot of veggies this week.
We decided to start with a tomato pie. I've been talking about making one since I saw this recipe in the Post last week. I've only had tomato pie once before, when I ordered it at PJ's Pancake House and thought I was getting a slice of tomato pie (in fact, I got a whole pie. Oops.) The below recipe was adapted from the recipe from the Post. My pie crust was a little shallow so I used only two layers of tomatoes, but you could do more.
Tomato Pie
Preheat the oven to 350
Ingredients:
Pie crust (I used a "Best Yet" frozen pie crust that I think brought the whole dish down... next time I would make my own or do without and serve the crustless pie with bread)
~1.5 cups of cheese, grated (I used cheddar, mozzarella, and parmesan)
1/4c diced sweet onion
~2.5 tomatoes, seeds and pulp removed, sliced 1/2" thick
~16 chives, chopped
Oregano, salt, pepper
To assemble:
Cover the bottom of the pie crust with 1/2c cheese
Cover with a layer of tomato slices
Sprinkle with ~1/2 of the onions, ~1/2 of the chives, oregano, salt, and pepper to taste
Repeat the above three steps
Finish with a final layer of cheese.
Ready for the oven
Bake in the 350 degr. oven for about 30 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the crust is toasty brown. I put mine under the broiler for two minutes to brown the cheese.
Delicious!
I could see using fresh basil instead of oregano, as well.
I accompanied it with seared red cabbage. Here it is in the pan.
I like how this preparation softened the stems and gave them a mild flavor, sort of like turnips. Be careful when cutting the cabbage--you need to leave a little bit of stem with each piece to facilitate flipping. I messed up with about 1/3 of the cabbage, which is now in the fridge, waiting to become slaw.
Bon appetit!
We decided to start with a tomato pie. I've been talking about making one since I saw this recipe in the Post last week. I've only had tomato pie once before, when I ordered it at PJ's Pancake House and thought I was getting a slice of tomato pie (in fact, I got a whole pie. Oops.) The below recipe was adapted from the recipe from the Post. My pie crust was a little shallow so I used only two layers of tomatoes, but you could do more.
Tomato Pie
Preheat the oven to 350
Ingredients:
Pie crust (I used a "Best Yet" frozen pie crust that I think brought the whole dish down... next time I would make my own or do without and serve the crustless pie with bread)
~1.5 cups of cheese, grated (I used cheddar, mozzarella, and parmesan)
1/4c diced sweet onion
~2.5 tomatoes, seeds and pulp removed, sliced 1/2" thick
~16 chives, chopped
Oregano, salt, pepper
To assemble:
Cover the bottom of the pie crust with 1/2c cheese
Cover with a layer of tomato slices
Sprinkle with ~1/2 of the onions, ~1/2 of the chives, oregano, salt, and pepper to taste
Repeat the above three steps
Finish with a final layer of cheese.
Ready for the oven
Bake in the 350 degr. oven for about 30 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the crust is toasty brown. I put mine under the broiler for two minutes to brown the cheese.
Delicious!
I could see using fresh basil instead of oregano, as well.
I accompanied it with seared red cabbage. Here it is in the pan.
I like how this preparation softened the stems and gave them a mild flavor, sort of like turnips. Be careful when cutting the cabbage--you need to leave a little bit of stem with each piece to facilitate flipping. I messed up with about 1/3 of the cabbage, which is now in the fridge, waiting to become slaw.
Bon appetit!
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