WATERMELON GAZPACHO

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I found this cast iron Amish hourglass at an estate sale:

One of my early blog posts — Friendship Blueberry Muffins — was also inspired by cast iron Amish figurines that I found at an estate sale.  I’m curious as to how they ended up in Houston — to my knowledge, there aren’t a lot of Amish here.  In fact, as best I can tell, there is only one small community in Texas in Beeville, started by a group from Tennessee in 1999.  I can understand why there are not more Amish in Texas — it’s not a secret that summers here can be brutally hot, and given that most Amish don’t have indoor air conditioning, I would imagine living here would not be very appealing.

According to my favorite weather guys, “August is the worst month because it is the hottest month of the year in Houston.  And we typically vacillate between the extremes of drought and flood, sometimes within a matter of hours.  There is no happy medium, There is no break from the humidity.  There is only August.”  Nailed it.  On the bright side, there’s at least a gllimmer of hope for cooler days at the end of September.

So although Halloween stuff is starting to appear in stores, and there are whispers of pumpkin spice in the air, we have at least two more months of heat and humidity to get through before we start cranking up the heat in the kitchen.  Inspired by the little Amish girl patiently sitting by the hourglass (like sands through the hourglass, so are the days of our summers), this Watermelon Gazpacho is cool and refreshing, with a little kick from jalapeno, and requires no cooking and only minimal preparation.  It’s perfect for the “worst month” while watermelon, cucumbers, and tomatoes are still in season.

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WATERMELON GAZPACHO
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Ingredients
  • 1 medium English cucumber, peeled, seeded, and cut into large chunks
  • ½ medium red bell pepper, seeded and ribs removed, and cut into large chunks
  • 2 cups coarsely chopped tomatoes
  • 2 cups coarsely chopped seedless watermelon
  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • 4 teaspoons sherry vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons chopped jalapeno, seeded
  • 2 tablespoons chopped shallots
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • Fresh cilantro (optional garnish)
Instructions
  1. Place cucumber, red bell pepper, tomatoes, watermelon, oil, vinegar, jalapeno, and shallots in a blender, and blend until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper. (Note: you can add more oil or vinegar, if desired.). Transfer to a container and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Ladle gazpacho into bowls and garnish with cilantro. Serve cold.

So refreshing

MISO CAESAR SALAD WITH CRISPY PANKO TOPPING

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Of all the salads I had ready to share on the blog for salad month, this one for MIso Caesar Salad with Crispy Panko Topping was by far our favorite.  It was inspired by one at a local restaurant and is crazy good, exploding with umami flavors.  (After Hurricane Beryl I considered calling it “Miso Sick of Gulf Coast Weather Salad,.”)

The base of the salad is little gem lettuces, which I’m usually able to find at Kroger:

I love their pretty little ombre green leaves:

I like to sprinkle a tablespoon or so of fried onions or shallots over the salad, which I buy at the Asian grocery store.  These are great to have on hand to add to your dishes for a little extra zhuzh:

The dressing is, of course, the key to this salad, but the crispy panko topping takes it next level.  If you don’t keep white miso on hand, I strongy suggest doing so — it lasts a long time in the refrigerator, and like Brylcreem, a little dab’ll do ya.


5 from 1 reviews
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MISO CAESAR SALAD WITH CRISPY PANKO TOPPING
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Ingredients
  • For the crispy panko topping:
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • ½ cup panko breadcrumbs
  • ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 2 tablespoons finely grated parmesan cheese
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • For the miso caesar dressing:
  • 2 oil-packed anchovies
  • 1 small garlic clove, grated
  • ¼ cup mayonnaise (preferably Kewpie)
  • 1-1/2 teaspoons miso paste
  • Juice of 1 small lemon
  • ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • For the salad:
  • 3 heads little gem lettuce
  • ½ teaspoon white sesame seeds (optional)
  • ½ teaspoons black sesame seeds (optional)
  • 1 tablespoon prepared fried onions or shallots (optional)
Instructions
  1. To make the crispy panko topping: Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the panko breadcrumbs and cook until the panko is browned and crispy, stirring constantly and taking care not to let it burn. Remove from heat, allow to cool briefly, then stir in red pepper flakes and parmesan. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
  2. To make the miso Caesar dressing:
  3. Using a mortar and pestle, pound the anchovies into a paste. Transfer to a small bowl and add the grated garlic, mayonnaise, miso paste, lemon juice, and pepper, and whisk until smooth.
  4. To make the salad: Cut the bottoms (and tops, if necessary) off of the lettuces and separate the leaves. Add lettuce to a large shallow bowl. Drizzle 3 tablespoons of the dressing over the lettuces and toss to combine (adjust the amount of dressing to your taste). Top with the crispy panko topping. Sprinkle sesame seeds and fried onions or shallots, if using, over top, and serve.

Lightly dressed and awaitng the topping

One of the best, and easily the most umami, salads I’ve ever made