August is a bit of a funny month. When August starts, there is technically still quite a bit of summer left - but somehow, always, it rushes by and suddenly it's fall. The days are getting shorter, the nights cooler, and there's something in the air in the mornings that reminds me of back-to-school. Every August since 2001, Slate has re-published editor David Plotz's article, "August", in which he suggests that August should be shortened to a mere 10 days. Somehow, even with the 31 days of August, it seems to rush by in what feels more like 10 days to me. The Slate editorial states that nothing good ever happens in August. Well, although the article goes on to list all the terrible things that have happened in Augusts of the past, I am going to defend August.
August is the month of tomatoes, wild blueberries, peaches, and corn - to name just a few of the seasonal fruits and vegetables. This is the kind of produce that doesn't taste quite as good any other time of the year. It's also best when you can buy this produce at a Farmer's Market - which coincidentally are the most bountiful in August. I was in Ottawa last weekend, where I truly loaded up on all the best August has to offer at the Byward Market - including a 6 litre basket of wild blueberries (which should be enough to make it through the winter...), a flat of strawberries, peaches and cream corn, green beans, peaches, and tomatoes. So this week has seen a lot of delicious meals - and brainstorming of recipes.
First up: gazpacho. Remember how my New Year's Resolution was to eat more soup? Unfortunately, once summer rolled around, my soup intake really decreased. Gazpacho is the perfect summer solution: cold, salad-like fresh tomato soup. This soup has has a bit of a crunch, is bursting with fresh flavours, and thanks to the hot pepper sauce, has just the necessary kick.
The Recipe:
3 tomatoes, peeled
1 sweet red pepper, halved and seeded
1 English cucumber, peeled
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tbsp olive oil
3 cups (approx) low-sodium vegetable cocktail
1/2 tsp hot pepper sauce
1 pinch salt
1 pinch freshly ground pepper
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| A Peeled Tomato |
2. Coarsely chop the tomatoes, red pepper and cucumber. Set aside 1/3 of tomatoes, 1/3 of red pepper and 1/3 of cucumber.
3. In food processor or blender, puree chopped tomatoes, pepper and cucumber (not including the 1/3 of each that is set aside), vinegar and oil.
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| Looks like the makings of a salad, right? |
4. Add remaining chopped vegetables to soup. Refrigerate until chilled, at least 2 hours and up to 12 hours. Thin with more vegetable cocktail if desired, and add salt and pepper to taste.
Garnish (optional): Brush oil and garlic over day-old bread and cut into 1/2 inch cubes. Bake at 350 for 10-15 mins, until golden.
Serve gazpacho in chilled bowls, topped with homemade croutons, fresh basil, thinly sliced cucumbers, or creme fraiche.
When searching for a gazpacho recipe, I came across quite a few that do not use fresh tomatoes. I think a cold soup for a hot summer night should make the most of summer produce and use fresh tomatoes - so I was happy with this recipe. The original recipe used a green pepper as well, but since we didn't have one in the fridge I made do without. I think there would be some other easy additions to make to this soup - some recipes used a jalapeño pepper instead of hot pepper sauce, or you could add in fresh basil, dill, or coriander.
Say what you want about August - but this is a good month for food...
Happy August, dear readers - enjoy it while it lasts!
Caroline
