Wednesday, July 22, 2015

Fruity Green Gazpacho

Fruity Green Gazpacho

Sweet peppers, mild vegetables, grapes and mint make a refreshing chilled soup with a bit of an edge.

http://www.farmfreshfeasts.com/2015/07/fruity-green-gazpacho.html

Do you ask for recipes when you taste something yummy--and homemade? I sure do. Even a vague "well, I used a bit of this, a smidgen of that, and a handful of the other thing" is enough of a jumping off point for me. When I've got the right blend of vegetables from our community supported agriculture (CSA) farm share, it's time to grab the appropriate fruits and give it a whirl. Literally.

Last September at a Cool Soups for a Hot Cause fundraiser I had a refreshing green gazpacho. It was sweet, but had a bit of edginess to let me know it wasn't entirely a fruit soup. [I've got my family's Scandinavian Fruit Soup on the blog if you want an entirely fruit soup.] After my second helping--which came after tasting ALL THE SOUPS on offer--I asked how it was made. The generous cook behind the tureen told me it had white grape juice and mint, and that she'd used the recipe from The Silver Palate Cookbook(Amazon Affiliate link). I made a mental note to find it, but after googling a bunch I never found that recipe.

http://www.farmfreshfeasts.com/2015/07/fruity-green-gazpacho.html

Instead, I found this recipe for a green gazpacho without white grape juice. That looks good, but not the sweet-with-a-bite soup I'd enjoyed. I kept on searching. This recipe has the grape juice, but also jalapeño and the soup I liked was not spicy. Alanna shares her recipe--a more precise version with honeydew and grapes--here.

In the end I cobbled together a few ingredients in the blender and hoped for the best. The result was cool and creamy, sweet and just a little bit edgy, and we enjoyed drinking it. I cannot find my paper with precise measurements yet I'm going to war with the troops I have so I'm deliberately vague in the recipe below. This is clearly one of those 'taste as you go' situations.

http://www.farmfreshfeasts.com/2015/07/fruity-green-gazpacho.html


One thing I will say--the texture would probably be better if I'd used a food processor. Throwing everything in the blender sure was easy and we drank our gazpacho like a smoothie, but next time I'll try the food processor. And not lose the paper with the amounts.

http://www.farmfreshfeasts.com/2015/07/fruity-green-gazpacho.html

Fruity Green Gazpacho

1 small shallot, chopped (about 2 Tablespoons)
about 1 cup chopped yellow bell pepper
about 1 cup chopped celery
about 1 to 1 ½ cups chopped peeled seeded cucumber
1 avocado
about 1 cup green grapes
about ½ cup fresh mint leaves
about 2 cups white grape juice (you could sub apple juice)
salt and pepper--I have no idea how much--taste as you go!

I dumped everything (but the avocado pit and peel) into the Vitamix and spun it until smooth. Next time I'd use my food processor to chop. Adding the ingredients in the order listed, with a few pulses in between each addition to incorporate, the result would have a more spoonable texture which I think I'd like better. And still, easy clean up.

http://www.farmfreshfeasts.com/2015/07/fruity-green-gazpacho.html
A behind the scenes--taking a shot on a bright day using a dark foam board to cut down on the incoming light.
For other recipes using avocado, please see my Avocado Recipes Collection. For other recipes using celery, please see my Celery Recipes Collection. For other recipes using cucumber, please see my Cucumber Recipes Collection. For other recipes using grapes, please see my Grape Recipes Collection. For other recipes using peppers, please see my Pepper Recipes Collection. These collections are part of the Visual Recipe Index by Ingredient, a resource for folks like me looking for inspiration when faced with a farm share box of produce.

http://www.farmfreshfeasts.com/2015/07/fruity-green-gazpacho.html

4 comments:

  1. Love this! In fact -- get this -- I have a very similar recipe, http://www.kitchenparade.com/2006/07/fruity-gazpacho.php. It’s slightly more precise : - ) and calls for jalapeño for a touch of heat but totally related. I’ve been making it for YEARS (twenty?) but since I do have a Silver Palate, it sure might have originated there. I’ll be darned if I can anyone to pay any attention to the recipe however -- it’s near the bottom in page views for all time and totally doesn’t deserve such neglect! Your pics are looking great, Kir!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Alanna,
      We need to give your recipe some LOVE!

      Delete
  2. The avocado....of course! It would add a nice, smooth, and creamy finish, which is perfect for a chilled summer soup. I like to use the food processor for my gazpacho too since I do like some texture in my bowl.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Meghan,
      I think grown ups like more texture than kids do, at least my kids. I think it depends for me on how I'm going to shovel it into my mouth--with a spoon, then some lumps and chunks are desired. Sipping from a glass . . . not so much. Soup smoothie in that case.
      Thanks!

      Delete