First, hello! Part of me feels pretty weird doing this (i.e. writing in first person on the intertubes), but I am also happy to be contributing to this type of online sharing network. I have enjoyed reading other people's blogs on food/food + their lives, and have rarely even left comments...I am shy!
I have also started this blog somewhat selfishly, to keep track of my recipes and my garden for myself. It seems pretty handy to have it all archived by date...who knows how good I will be at updating but at least it's a goal for myself!
I have only really had a vegetable garden this year. We bought our house in December 2007, and were away till August 2008. Last year was the year of hacking through the two-foot high forest of overgrown perennials/weeds/trees/random objects (a stoplight and a racist lawn ornament were back there, and apparently there's also a dead cat in a suitcase under the lilacs - luckily I found that out before I dug back there! Oh my. ) So, this year, with the raised beds and barrels and the greenhouse, I am finally growing food, and it's a beautiful thing to be learning about.
I have had to figure my way through some pretty intense dietary changes in the past couple of years, and have figured out a few new recipes and techniques along the way. This is in part due to my love of cooking and experimenting in the kitchen, and part due to my intense nerdery on the subject. I read gardening books and cookbooks (and, recently, UNcook books) cover-to-cover like novels, before I go to sleep, depending on the mood I'm in!
There is no better feeling in the world than walking out to the yard, picking a bowlful of veggies, walking back into the house, and immediately preparing and eating them. Especially when you are sick and the idea of going to the grocery store (pretty much across the street from me, but still!) is a daunting chore.
Hence, this recipe. I made this yesterday, during my second round of strep throat in a row...I had very little energy and a desire to consume a lot of vitamins in a cooling and refreshing way. I feel a lot better today - I think the gazpacho and the garden borscht (another recipe for another day) had a lot to do with it!
I did add 2 tomatoes NOT from my garden (but organic and local and freshly picked all the same, thank you B.G. and E. L.!), as well as 1 avocado from who knows where. And well, the oil and vinegar and cayenne sure didn't grow here...but I think of this soup as coming straight from my garden, with its vitamins and enzymes as close to unadulterated as possible, nonetheless...
GREEN GARDEN GAZPACHO
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What I picked:
What I ate:
Ingredients:
2 1/2 large tomatoes, or equivalent, diced
2 6 inch cucumbers, or equivalent, diced
1 small pepperoncini pepper, or equivalent, diced
1 avocado, diced
1 handful green onions and chives, finely chopped
2 medium cloves garlic, finely minced and smashed with a sprinkle of Himalayan salt, and left for a few minutes to soften (I use Himalayan pink salt because it is unprocessed, and contains all the necessary trace minerals in their intact natural state. It helps with absorption of vitamins and minerals in the foods it is added to as well.)
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp flax oil (if you don't have it, you could use all olive oil, or add grapeseed or hemp oil)
1/8 tsp cayenne (or less, to your own taste)
1 1/2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 large handful of flat-leaf Italian parsley
1 large handful of basil
1-2 handfuls of other greens as available (I used New Zealand spinach but you could use regular spinach, chard, etc)
more salt, to taste
Garnish: any edible flowers you might have in your garden/fresh herbs (I had some calendula and nasturtium)
Mix the first 6 ingredients together in a large bowl. In a small bowl, mix together the oil, cayenne and vinegar and toss with the veggies.
Put the parsley, basil and greens in the blender and add in 1/3 - 1/2 of the veggie mixture, depending on how chunky you want your gazpacho. Puree till smooth, and add back in to the veggie mixture. Stir to mix, and adjust the seasonings. If you prefer a more watery soup, add water!
To serve this right away, put an ice cube at the bottom of each bowl before ladling the soup in. Otherwise, chill till cold before serving.
Garnish with flowers.
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