All content copyright Katrina Hall 2008 through 2025

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

yellow pepper gazpacho on a hot day





It's blisteringly hot and humid in New Hampshire today , for the fourth day. I don't know about you, but I find it difficult to eat in this kind of weather - at least until it cools off a little in the evening, or after a nice long swim. Since I had no time to drive out to the lake, I've been wilting as the day goes on. But then I thought of making gazpacho, and an enticing thought it was; a nice blended vegetable soup, bright with yellow peppers, and refreshing with celery and cucumbers, nicely iced. Tomatoes, you say? Since I only had red tomatoes, I decided to skip them. I'm sure it's some kind of blasphemy to call it gazpacho, but there it is.
I also skipped garlic, just on a whim, thinking it might overpower the fresh subtle flavor of the cucumber and pepper. But if you want them, feel free to toss them in.
To make 2 large bowls or 4 small ones:
1 large yellow pepper, roasted and skinned, cut into small pieces ( about a cup full)
1 heaping cup of roughly chopped celery
1 1/2 cups seeded and peeled cucumber ( doesn't have to be English)
1/2 cup chopped sweet onion
1-2 T. fresh chopped Italian parsley
salt
1-2 T. virgin olive oil ( optional)
several drops of green Tabasco, or just put on the table
To roast the pepper, you can use an electric or gas grill, charring the skin all over, then tightly wrapping in a small paper bag. When cooled, rub off the charred spots, or trim with a knife. Take the core and seeds and membranes out before chopping.
Place all the chopped vegetables in the food processor, and process until smooth.
Add salt, and olive oil, as wished, and hot sauce, if desired. Chill well.
Serve in bowls, or for fun, in a martini glass.
Stay cool!

10 comments:

La Table De Nana said...

I should have made gazpacho!!!

Great idea! We are in the same sweltering hot heat w/ humidex way up there.This looks fresh!

katrina said...

Oh, poor you, Nana! I am SO uncomfortable in this weather, I can't believe I survived living in Mississippi so long ago. Humidity just wallops me. Hope it clears up soon - for both of us! I gave away my air conditioner when I moved to this old house, thinking I'd never need it, mores the pity:)

Kalyn Denny said...

It sounds delicious. (And green Tabasco, one of my favorites!)

katrina said...

Thanks, Kalyn! Yay for green Tabasco ( though I often use Frank's Red Hots at the same time) -

Chef Fresco said...

We've still never made gazpacho. Are they usually made w. peppers? I bet it was delicious w. the yellow guys!

katrina said...

Hello, Chefs! At the end of the first paragraph, click on gazpacho to read the history of - and no, gazpacho isn't usually made with just yellow peppers! That was a little creative cooking on my part:) Many thanks for coming by to check this dee-licious soup out!

Julie said...

oooh - brilliant idea! Yum! Thanks for the inspiration!

katrina said...

Glad you liked, Julie! It's a lifesaver this past week, that's for sure....SO humid it's hard to feel hungry.

Kate at Serendipity said...

i've just found this. What an amazing color! I can imagine this swirled with one made with orange peppers. Or red ones. But neither would have THIS COLOR. Thanks for posting this. I hope it's cooled off by now.

katrina said...

Thanks, Kate!
Yes - it's finally cooler, and raining. Windows closed, and last night I actually thought of having a fire in the fireplace.
I'm delighted you liked the color ( and the soup is AWESOME) - that's what was in my head as I searched for a pepper gazpacho online. So far, I guess this is a first. I like your swirling-in idea - I'm tucking that away for my next soup inspiration. I think that's a really great way to have a contrasting taste ( and color).