I had gazpacho for the first time almost exactly two years ago. The Mister and I were on vacation at his family's beach house, along with his uncle and girlfriend. They made us dinner one night, and although I don't remember the main course at all, I do remember the meal started with a bowl of gazpacho.
It took me almost a year to move gazpacho out of the "to-make" list. When I did, I used a recipe I swiped from another blog that looked easier than most. It didn't turn out very well. In fact, when The Mister tried it, it didn't stay down very long. If you know what I mean. Another year later, I decided it was time to give gazpacho another shot.
This time I used a recipe from my go-to for the classics: The Dean and DeLuca Cookbook. And although I made some minor changes to fit my tastes, I stuck to the essentials of the recipe. The soup was exactly what I wanted: fresh, simple, and delicious with some home made croutons on top.
Gazpacho
From the Dean and DeLuca Cookbook
1 small can diced tomatoes
1 tbsp minced garlic
1/2 onion, chopped
1/2 green pepper, chopped
1/2 red pepper, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1/2 cucumber, chopped
1 tbps olive oil
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
salt and pepper, to taste
A few hours before serving, combine all ingredients. Let sit in a covered container to let the flavors mellow and combine.
Just before serving, blend 1/2 of the soup (or more, depending on your tastes). Serve topped with croutons.
Showing posts with label Veggies. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Veggies. Show all posts
August 30, 2010
October 1, 2009
Zucchini Basil Soup
The Boyfriend was out of town last week. This means a few things around here: 1) The apartment was a mess. I didn't do dishes or laundry or wipe off the counters. It was pretty gross. 2) I got to eat whatever I wanted. I didn't have to fight for veggies and I didn't have to have meat at every. single. meal. It was glorious.
I went to the farmer's market in Santa Monica on Saturday morning - another novelty - most of the time I can't drag Boyfriend out of the apartment on days that football is on TV. There was so much pretty, fresh produce and I couldn't help but buy close to 3 pounds of zucchini. And a pound of pluots. And the biggest freakin' sweet potato I have EVER seen. And a pomegranate. Mmmmmmmm fresh produce.
When I got home and assesed my spoils there was no way around it - I needed to do something with all the dang zucchini. When this recipe popped up on my google reader I knew it was the one - besides the abundence of summer squash, I also have a basil plant in my little garden that is just overflowing. And so it was
Zucchini Basil Soup
adapted from caviarandcodfish.com
1 lb zucchini, chopped
1 cup chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1/4 cup olive oil
3 cups chicken stock
1/3 cup packed basil leaves
salt to taste
Saute onion and garlic in oil in a large saucepan until the onion is clear and soft. Add zucchini, salt, and chicken stock and simmer until tender, about 15 minutes. Transfer soup to a blender along with the basil and blend until it reaches the desired consistency.
Yum.
I went to the farmer's market in Santa Monica on Saturday morning - another novelty - most of the time I can't drag Boyfriend out of the apartment on days that football is on TV. There was so much pretty, fresh produce and I couldn't help but buy close to 3 pounds of zucchini. And a pound of pluots. And the biggest freakin' sweet potato I have EVER seen. And a pomegranate. Mmmmmmmm fresh produce.
When I got home and assesed my spoils there was no way around it - I needed to do something with all the dang zucchini. When this recipe popped up on my google reader I knew it was the one - besides the abundence of summer squash, I also have a basil plant in my little garden that is just overflowing. And so it was
Zucchini Basil Soup
adapted from caviarandcodfish.com
1 lb zucchini, chopped
1 cup chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1/4 cup olive oil
3 cups chicken stock
1/3 cup packed basil leaves
salt to taste
Saute onion and garlic in oil in a large saucepan until the onion is clear and soft. Add zucchini, salt, and chicken stock and simmer until tender, about 15 minutes. Transfer soup to a blender along with the basil and blend until it reaches the desired consistency.
Yum.
February 23, 2009
Tomato Basil Soup
Last week, the boyfriend wasn't feeling so great for a few days. What's better to eat when you are feeling under the weather than soup? Tomatoes were on sale at the grocery store, so tomato soup was born!
This recipe calls for peeled tomatoes, which made me scratch my head. I literally peeled 10 tomatoes with a vegetable peeler - not easy, and not fun. Afterwards I did a little research and found a much easier way to do things.
To peel a tomato, score the underside with a big "x". Plunge the tomato in boiling water for about 10 seconds, remove, and place in an ice bath for 30 seconds. Remove from the water. You should be able to easily remove the skins by pulling upwards from the flaps!
Tomato Basil Soup
Adapted from Martha Stewart Living
2 tbsp Olive Oil
2 Carrots, peeled and chopped
3 Celery Stalks, chopped
2 large Onions, chopped
10 tomatoes, peeled and seeded
1 Can Tomato Paste
1 tbsp dried Basil
Salt and Pepper
Heat olive oil in a saucepan butter over medium heat; add onion, carrots, and celery. Saute until onion becomes translucent, but not brown (5 min).
Add tomatoes and simmer, stirring occasionally, until tomatoes start to break down, about 2o minutes.
Season - add salt and pepper, basil, and tomato paste. Mix well.
Depending on how chunky you want your soup, you can now puree all or some of the soup to the desired consistency. Use an immersion blender or just a regular blender. If you use a regular blender like I did, blend the soup in sections (not all at the same time), returning the blended liquid to the pot until you reach the creaminess you want.
This recipe calls for peeled tomatoes, which made me scratch my head. I literally peeled 10 tomatoes with a vegetable peeler - not easy, and not fun. Afterwards I did a little research and found a much easier way to do things.
To peel a tomato, score the underside with a big "x". Plunge the tomato in boiling water for about 10 seconds, remove, and place in an ice bath for 30 seconds. Remove from the water. You should be able to easily remove the skins by pulling upwards from the flaps!
Tomato Basil Soup
Adapted from Martha Stewart Living
2 tbsp Olive Oil
2 Carrots, peeled and chopped
3 Celery Stalks, chopped
2 large Onions, chopped
10 tomatoes, peeled and seeded
1 Can Tomato Paste
1 tbsp dried Basil
Salt and Pepper
Heat olive oil in a saucepan butter over medium heat; add onion, carrots, and celery. Saute until onion becomes translucent, but not brown (5 min).
Add tomatoes and simmer, stirring occasionally, until tomatoes start to break down, about 2o minutes.
Season - add salt and pepper, basil, and tomato paste. Mix well.
Depending on how chunky you want your soup, you can now puree all or some of the soup to the desired consistency. Use an immersion blender or just a regular blender. If you use a regular blender like I did, blend the soup in sections (not all at the same time), returning the blended liquid to the pot until you reach the creaminess you want.
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