Cooking with Bo: Summer Gazpacho

Nothing screams summer quite like a cold soup and when I think of cold soup, I think of gazpacho.

gazpacho

Now, I know that there are other cold soups: cucumber, melon, vichyssoise, the list goes on. That said, gazpacho has always been my favorite. The ripe summer tomatoes, the slight spice, and the complexity of the herbs and vegetables all complement each other perfectly. Add the fact that this soup is, by its very nature vegan, raw and can be gluten-free, and you have the perfect healthy dish for any hot summer day.

Many of you may know that gazpacho comes in many forms. There are variations with melon, various types of citrus, yellow tomatoes (if you can find them this is a beautiful soup) and many other twists on the basic formula. In addition, the garnishes can be simple (one piece of cilantro for example) or more complex (last night’s had a cilantro pesto (Spanish variation on the Italian classic) along with some crème fresh). Also, the consistency of gazpacho varies significantly. You can find gazpacho that is chunky and crunchy where you will actually end up chewing the soup, or smooth and totally pureed.

Personally, I prefer smooth gazpacho not only because the flavors blend better but the prep work is also much easier as long as you have a good blender (you don’t have to chop the veggies in even pieces for example).

Below you’ll find the recipe for last night’s gazpacho and the pesto garnish. Just as a note, I omitted the EVOO and the bread to keep it healthy and gluten-free. Enjoy!

One final thing – a quick trick to peel tomatoes: bring a pot of water to boil, cut X’s in the bottom of the tomatoes with a paring knife and plunge them in the water for 30 sec to 1 min.  When they come out, you should be able to pull the skin easily from the bottom of the tomato.

Ingredients:

For the gazpacho:

10 medium ripe tomatoes, peeled and chopped

1 medium red onion, chopped

1 cucumber, peeled, seeded, chopped

1 red or yellow bell pepper seeded and chopped

2 stalks celery, chopped

2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley

2 Tbsp chopped fresh chives

1 clove garlic, minced (use of a garlic press is okay)

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

1/4 cup olive oil (optional)

1/4 cup of day old bread to thicken (optional)

2 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

2 teaspoons sugar

Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

A few drops of Tabasco sauce to taste

For the pesto:

2 cups of cilantro leaves packed

1/3 cup raw white almonds (don’t use the type with brown skin – if you can’t find white almonds use pine nuts)

1/4 cup EVOO (plus more if needed)

salt and pepper to taste

Preparation (this is the easy part):

For the gazpacho:

Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.

For the pesto:

Combine all ingredients in a small food processor and mix until smooth.

Serving:

Put a serving of gazpacho in a bowl.  Top with one spoonful of pesto and one of crème fresh.

Do you have any gazpacho variations or garnishes that you particularly enjoy?

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Shrimp and Kale Low Country Soup Recipe

I hope you and yours have had a wonderful weekend thus far. I’m finally starting to feel a little bit better though I’m far from 100%. This morning after sleeping for twelve hours, my mom and I found ourselves in the kitchen staring into an over packed refrigerator. The past few nights we’ve returned home with leftovers from each meal. Without time to catch up on any of this food we risked having a lot of it go bad today. A girl who loves her seafood, I decided to salvage the Low Country Boil leftovers first!

On the 26th my brother Ryan, hosted everyone at his home for an oyster roast and Low Country Boil. This was a new tradition for our family but hopefully one that will continue for years to follow as everyone had a blast laughing around the fire while shucking oysters and sipping cold beers. 104 100 101 I looked at the two containers of shrimp, potatoes and sausage trying to figure out what I could make when my mom suggested I try my hand at a soup. She figured that with half our family feeling under the weather it would be the perfect dinner. I always love a challenge so I quickly searched our refrigerator and pantry for ingredients before grabbing the cookbook and getting to work. I decided to start the soup with a French mirepoix base to give it flavor before layering in the additional ingredients. A French mirepoix is a trio of aromatic vegetables – onions, carrots and celery, sautéed or used raw as the flavor base for many soups.

This soup is a healthy yet hearty combination of proteins and vegetables that result in a “stick to your bones” soup that is bursting with shrimp flavor.  I hope you enjoy it as much as we did this evening! It is the perfect way to use some leftovers in your refrigerator this winter.

Shrimp and Kale Low Country SoupShrimp and Kale Low Country Soup Recipe

Serves: 4  – Preparation Time: 15 minutes -  Cooking Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

-2 Tbsp Olive Oil

-1/2 cup chopped carrots

-1/2 cup chopped celery

-1 cup chopped onions (sweet onions preferred)

-4 cups chicken or vegetable stock depending on flavor preference

-1 Bay Leaf

-1 tablespoon parsley

-1 teaspoon Garlic Gold or other preferred seasoning

-2 cups chopped kale

-1 pound of cooked, peeled and deveined shrimp

-1 cooked Kielbasa sausage cut into bit size pieces (can use any type of sausage)

– 5 small new potatoes, cooked and quartered

-1 15 oz can white beans, drained and rinsed

-1/4 cup heavy cream, half and half,  fat free half and half, or milk

130 Directions

1. Combine carrots, celery, onions and olive oil in large pot over medium-high heat and bring to a simmer.  Reduce heat to low once the onions begin to brown and the vegetables soften.

2. Pour broth and kale over the softened vegetables and bring to a boil.

3. Reduce to a low simmer and stir in herbs before simmering for 15 minutes while partially covered.

4. Stir in sausage, shrimp, potatoes and drained white beans before simmering for 5 more minutes. Taste for flavor and add any additional seasonings.

5. Stir in cream and allow to simmer on low for 5 final minutes before removing from heat. Serve while warm and garnish with either a drizzle of sherry wine or a few sprigs of kale for added color.

6. Enjoy!

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