August is the month to make Gazpacho. Everything is in season, tomatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers and fresh herbs.

Last year while spending a semester in Madrid, I did my fair share of gazpacho eating as the temperature rose steadily in May.  Like any good poker game, rules of the house apply, and the same holds true with Spanish Gazpacho. Gazpacho is essentially a chilled tomato soup with cucumber, onions and various other additions depending on where you are in the country, who’s house your dining in, and of course what happens to be growing in the garden. Searching for a Spanish blogger to set me straight once and for all, I happened upon The Lobster Squad’s gazpacho entry.

She puts it best- this dish is idiosyncratic, but there are right ways to change it and wrong ways. Don’t use mushy tomatoes, forget about accurate measurements, listen to your tongue and tummy.  The Spanish often include day old bread in their recipes, giving the soup more body and a richer quality.  In Granada, I sampled a this type of soup called salmorejo, a cold tomato  and bread based soup, silky with freshly pressed olive oil and garnished with jamon y huevo (egg).

But here in Minnesota my air conditioning is broken, it’s stinking hot and the only thing to eat that doesn’t increase the heat is chilled veggies. Gazpacho sans bread it its. Nothing is easier than a cold soup for a fast lunch or dinner.

Gazpacho

(One of the best parts about this soup is you can use whatever veggies you have on hand…which in august for me, is usually a lot.) This recipe serves three or four, depending on the course and the appetite. For me, it made a great dinner with bread and found its way into my lunch box the next day.

One half cucumber, seeded skin removed if desired
two tomatoes
one half red onion
two bell peppers of different colors
one clove garlic
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup white balsamic or light colored vinegar
salt and pepper

Roughly chop the vegetables and garlic and toss into a food processor. Pulse until desired chunky to liquid ratio. I recommend staying on the chunky side, because next you add the olive oil to emulsify the soup and the vinegar to balance the sweet summer fruits. Finally season to taste with salt and pepper. Yep that’s it! So easy, and completely delicious. If you want a more liquidy soup and like the tomato centered model (I am pretty liberal when it comes to gazpacho making) go ahead and add some tomato juice. It is a different flavor, but yummy in its own right.

May I suggest some grilled shrimp, crusty bread and a rose wine to go with it?

This summer, I’ve decided to take a new approach for the blog.  Every week, I’ll pick a food, or a food concept and play around with it for 7 days.  This week, I’ve chosen the stalky, healthy, pungent Asparagus.

First off, let’s clear up the smelly pee issue. Methyl mercaptan, the atomic bomb in the skunk’s biologic arsenal, is also found in asparagus.  However, only when exposed to the enzymes in our stomachs can the sulfuric acid actually be released, therefore thankfully the stench is not present while cooking the veggie (1). Admittedly, there are some disputes in this discussion, but this theory seems to be the most widely accepted. (2)

Well, all things considered, I guess will be a rather smelly week for my household as we embark on seven days of recipes.  In the spring the vegetable is ubiquitous at the farmers market, so make sure you keep an eye open for the local crop.  As a member of the lily family, asparagus is closely related to the onion, the leek and scallion.   For my first recipe, there is a family reunion taking place in my fridge.

Spring (fridge) Cleaning Roasted Asparagus Soup

The best part of this recipe is that it isn’t really a recipe. The quantities can vary, the leeks can be substituted for green onions (scallions, spring onions) and the herbs are up to you!  I have made it twice already, and both times, I’ve licked the bowl.

Serves 8-10 as a first course

2 bunches asparagus cleaned and cut into pieces
1/2 pound potatoes, sliced 1/4 inch thick
3 leeks, white and light green parts chopped
4 large cloves garlic in its skin
1/4 cup olive oil
1 1/2 (ish) quarts chicken broth
1 lemon
Salt and Pepper
Fresh herbs like dill and parsley (optional, but exceptional additions!)

Preheat your oven to 375.  In a large bowl, combine asparagus, leeks (or substitutions), potatoes and garlic  with the olive oil.  Go ahead and use your hands to mix it up- more effective and more fun. Season with coarse salt (kosher) and a few grinds of fresh black pepper.  You can always add more later, this is just to give the veggies that great roasted toasted flavor.  Roast mixture on one or two baking sheets for 35 minutes, or until soft. Remove from oven and allow to cool a little. Pop the garlic cloves out of their skins.

Place 1/3 of the vegetables in the bowl of a food processor and add broth to cover. Careful! Blending hot things can be dangerous.  Blend until desired smoothness (or chunkiness!). Repeat with remaining veggies and broth in two batches.

Now taste. What does it need? Add a squeeze of lemon juice: it will brighten your soup.  Finally chop a bit of fresh parsley and/or dill and sprinkle it over top. Voila! With a piece of bread and a hunk of good Irish cheddar cheese, your meal is ready.