Fresh Gazpacho--One-Ingredient Delight

I love gazpacho and make it quite often during hot summer days when I can get field tomatoes that taste best. It is one of the easiest fresh soups, entirely made in a food processor. The best gazpacho I ever tasted was the original, Spanish one--very smooth, almost orange in color.

But a couple weeks ago I was at the party at our Spanish friend's place. He prepared gazpacho entirely from fresh tomatoes. And that was the best gazpacho I ever had. It seemed sparkling from the sherry vinegar, so smooth as if it was whipped, delicate, and so light that it was served in cups like a drink.

As other people already enjoyed grilled meats and there were still many goblets with gazpacho left I discreetly had three of them. And of course I asked our friend about the secret of his soup, which turned out to be that he uses only fresh tomatoes, and only a bit of olive oil and sherry vinegar.

Two days later, when I got some very ripe and juicy tomatoes, my version of his soup was ready. It is indeed almost a one-ingredient soup and the only difficulty comes with straining the soup after it is puréed first, to get rid of the peel and seeds. It takes away some part of the volume so you end up with much less than when you make gazpacho with other vegetables and tomato juice. But if you are a connoisseur of real food, this gazpacho is a summer delight worth making and trying.

Fresh Gazpacho
(Serves six)

Ingredients:
3 lb ripe, juicy tomatoes,
2 small garlic cloves,
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil,
3-4 tbsp sherry vinegar,
salt and pepper.

Preparation:
1. Wash tomatoes, cut in quarters and place them in a food processor. Pulse the blender several times until tomatoes make a smooth cream.

2. Strain the sauce through a colander with small holes or a sieve to discard the peel and skins.
3. Return the tomato sauce to the blender, add garlic, salt, pepper, and vinegar. Blend all the ingredients until creamy. Add slowly olive oil in three parts and blend well again.
4. Let it chill for about 1/2 hour and serve in glass goblets.

Fried Zucchini Blossoms--Welcome Summer

Always curious of new foods, I have been dreaming of trying zucchini flowers for a long time. In Italy in this season they are sold in any regular food markets, packed in plastic boxes to protect the delicate blossoms. In my area even the most fancy food stores never carry them and at certain farmers markets you can have them sometimes as a special order.

Desperate to find out what this delicacy is about, early this spring I bought two small zucchini plants and grew them in my yard. Two weeks ago, almost exactly with the arrival of the summer, they started to bloom. At first, just three to four flowers on each plant, but recently they have been blooming boldly, enough finally to make the whole dish from them.

Zucchini blossoms are indeed very delicate. Early in the morning they open they flowers, to close them later in the day, and to fade away for good already the next day.

There are many recipes for zucchini blossoms in French and mostly in Italian cuisine--pastas, risottos, stuffed and fried. But since I had no experience with them whatsoever for my first step I chose the simplest dish for fried zucchini blossom in wine batter, which I found in an Italian culinary magazine .

Last week on a perfect sunny day I prepared a vegetarian lunch and as one of the dishes I served my first zucchini blossoms. And I became a great lover of them. They were similar to artichokes, delicate but intriguing in taste, and I cannot wait to try the next dish with them.

Fried Zucchini Blossoms

Ingredients:
12-16 large zucchini blossoms,
1/3 cup all purpose flour.
1/4 cup sparkling water,
1/4 white wine, preferably sparkling
1 tbsp sunflower oil,
1/2 cup olive oil for frying,
salt and pepper to taste.

Preparation:
1. Wash gently zucchini blossoms in cold water, shake off gently excess water and let them dry on a paper towel.
2. In a medium bowl mix water and wine. Using a whisker or hand mixer add gradually flour and beat until it makes a smooth batter. Pour in sunflower oil, and season with salt and pepper. Try the thickness of the batter--it should be as thick as heavy whipping cream. If it is too liquid add an extra tbsp or two of flour.
3. Let the batter to rest in a refrigerator for about 30 minutes.
4. Heat the olive oil in a medium heavy duty frying pan. Dip each blossom in the batter holding it by the stem so the batter coats evenly the whole flower. Place them one after another in hot oil

5. Fry them on a medium high heat for about 3 minutes, until each of them becomes slightly gold, then turn them, one by one, and fry on the other side.

6. Place fried blossom on the paper towel to absorb the extra oil and serve immediately, still warm.

Asparagus and Tomato Salad

First asparagus season always comes in very early spring. At that time, asparagus is often imported from warmer countries or states, fresh and inexpensive. It is one of my favorite vegetables so I typically serve it almost every day either for lunch or dinner in tarts, pastas, and risottos. But somehow this year, before I enjoyed it to full, the first asparagus season had been already over.

Last week, at my local farmers market, it appeared again, which means that the second, local, asparagus season has arrived. Because the weather is much warmer, and I often prepare cold dishes or grilled meats, I decided to make an asparagus salad, which is great for lunch or dinner.

When it comes to asparagus I have only one secret. Just like I never cook beets in the water I also never cook asparagus. First, I fry it briefly in a drop of oil and then add water and cook until the water evaporates. This way almost all the nutrition remains in the asparagus and it is cooked but still crisp and green. I add the rest of the ingredients and in no time the salad is ready.

Asparagus and Tomato Salad

Ingredients:
A bunch of green asparagus,
a pint of cherry tomatoes,
half a medium red onion,
shredded Parmesan cheese,
juice from half a lemon,
extra virgin olive oil.

Preparation:
1. Cut off about 1/4 of asparagus from the bottom end and discard. Cut the rest in inch-long sticks.
2. Wash cherry tomatoes, cut them in halves, and place in a medium bowl.
3. Cut the red onion in half, slice it very finely, and add to tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper. Pour in lemon juice and a tbsp of olive oil.
4. In a heavy-duty frying pan heat a tbsp of olive oil. Add chopped asparagus, mix and fry for 1-2 minutes turning constantly so it does not turn brown. Add a bit of water (about 1/4 of a cup) and cook on a medium heat stirring once in while, until the water evaporates and asparagus is softer but still crispy.
5. Transfer hot asparagus to the bowl with tomatoes and onion. Mix well all the ingredients. Add shredded Parmesan cheese and mix again gently. Serve in room temperature.