Category Archives: Soups

SPICY GAZPACHO

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I found these vintage seed labels at simplyfrenchvintage several years ago.  I bought some, thinking I might use them for . . .  I have no idea.  Craft fail.

You won’t find many of these vegetables at our local farmers markets this time of year. Last week’s “seasonal selections” at the farmers market were eggplant, peas, cucumbers, peppers, basil, okra, melons, and onions.

This week it’s been over 100 degrees here.  It’s hot.  We haven’t had much rain, but Houston has a faint yellow haze these days from a sand storm in the Sahara Desert.  It’s definitely too hot to cook.  Maybe even too hot to chew.

It’s days like this when a cold spicy gazpacho is splendid.  What’s more, with the exception of the tomatoes, the key ingredients can still be found at the farmers market:

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 Tomatoes, cucumbers, red onions, red bell peppers

Inspired by the pretty vintage labels and the dog days of summer, I hunted around for a long time for a gazpacho recipe.  I don’t care for the ones that rely on tomato juice as a base.  The liquid in this recipe, adapted from one by Lynette Hawkins of Giacomo’s, uses the liquid that comes from macerating the vegetables.  It’s worth hunting down sherry vinegar, as it really adds to the flavor of the soup.  This gazpacho is icy cold and spicy and smooth and so good on a hot summer evening.  If you can’t stand the heat . . . make gazpacho!

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SPICY GAZPACHO
 
Ingredients
  • 3 pounds ripe tomatoes, coarsely chopped
  • 1 large cucumber, peeled, seeded, and coarsely chopped
  • 1 large red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and coarsely chopped
  • 1 medium red onion, coarsely chopped
  • 1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic
  • 1 serrano chile, seeded and coarsely chopped
  • 2-1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 2 slices white bread, crusts removed, torn into small pieces
  • ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
  • ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
  1. Place the tomatoes, cucumbers, red bell peppers, onion, garlic, and serrano chile in a 4-quart container. Add 2-1/2 teaspoons kosher salt and toss to combine. Add the bread pieces and toss again. Allow ingredients to macerate at least 30 minutes.
  2. Puree the tomato mixture in a blender in two batches. For each batch, blend for 30 seconds, then drizzle in ¼ cup olive oil with motor running. Blend until completely smooth, then transfer each batch to a 4-quart container. Stir in vinegar, black pepper, and ½ teaspoon kosher salt. Taste and add additional salt and pepper, if necessary, to taste. Chill completely in refrigerator, and serve cold.

SPLIT PEA AND HAM SOUP

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Most of the estate sales I go to are pretty predictable — a Duncan Phyfe dining room table, some midcentury furniture, cut glass, silverplate, bad artwork, needlepoint, rooms full of Christmas ornaments and decorations, piles of linens, abandoned toys, and unfinished crafts.  But occasionally I run across something truly bizarre, like say, a backyard full of dismembered mannequins.

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I’m not talking just one or two mannequins, but dozens of naked, maimed mannequins:

mannequins3I have no idea how those mannequins met their demise or why they were cavalierly tossed in the backyard.  Isn’t that what dumpsters are for?  Anyway, I’ve since revised my will to include instructions that any dismembered mannequins of mine be discarded before my children expose the contents of my home to complete strangers in the hopes of making a few dollars.

The mannequins weren’t the only disturbing thing in this backyard.  Check out the pool:

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See it back there, in all its brilliant pea green glory?  I’m guessing the pool guy took one look at the mannequins, realized life was too short to mess with it, and hightailed it out of there.

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Looking at the pool (1) makes me want to take antibiotics, and (2) makes me think of split pea soup.  I’ve been feeling crummy this past week with the flu or allergies or both, and we’re about to get yet another cold front, so inspired by the discarded mannequins lounging around the pea green pool, I made a big pot of Split Pea and Ham Soup.  The recipe is adapted from the one in The New Basics Cookbook by Julee Rosso and Sheila Lukins (my Silver Palate heroines).  It is a comforting, familiar soup, with an interesting twist from the sherry and tarragon.

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SPLIT PEA AND HAM SOUP
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Recipe type: Soup
 
Ingredients
  • 1 pound dried green split peas
  • 5 cups chicken stock
  • 5 cups water
  • ½ cup diced smoked ham
  • 2 ribs celery, diced
  • 3 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley, divided use
  • ½ teaspoon dried tarragon
  • 1 cup diced peeled carrots
  • 1 cup diced onion
  • 1 leek, white part only, thinly sliced
  • 2 tablespoons dry sherry
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
  1. Rinse the split peas in a strainer, then combine them with the stock and water in a large stockpot. Bring to a boil over high heat, and add the ham, celery, 1 tablespoon parsley, and tarragon. Reduce heat, and simmer, partially covered, for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the carrots, onion, and leek, and continue to simmer for another 30 minutes. Add the sherry and remaining 2 tablespoons parsley, season to taste with salt and pepper, and heat through. Serve hot.

 

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 Not for dummies!