Here is a great recipe to help utilize your garden veggies! Michelle and I just got back from a quick trip to our hometown of Cleveland, Ohio (Mentor, Concord, Painesville area) and it was great to eat some “backyard” tomatoes and eat some local corn. It’s a little early still, but they are starting to pop. Our restaurant, John Palmer’s Bistro 44, was located near many small family farms, so we were the lucky recipients of some beautiful produce. One time a local gardener “gave” me an entire wheelbarrow full of cucumbers—flavorsome, ripe cucumbers. Why did he have so many? I don’t know, but I did my best to use them in any and all ways thinkable. We later formed a partnership where I purchased his seeds and helped him work in the garden. He was the green thumb; I provided the muscle. I will get into cucumbers in the next article. For all this produce, I had no fewer than 4 Gazpachos in my soup repertoire. I found this one in a book called “Thrill of the Grill” by Chris Schlesinger and John Willoughby. It is a little labor intensive, but oh so worth it. I hope you enjoy it.
Grilled Vegetable Gazpacho
- 2 pounds ripe tomatoes, cored and halved
- 1 medium zucchini, quartered lengthwise
- 1 bell pepper, quartered and seeded
- 1 red onion, peeled and quartered
- 4-5 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 thick slice of day-old crusty bread
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
- Prep all the vegetables and get them grill ready. Place them in a mixing bowl, toss with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
- Grill the vegetables over high heat. Place them on a cookie sheet to let them cool.
- Toast the crusty bread on the grill.
- Place all ingredients in a food processor or blender—bread, veggies, garlic, etc. Blend in the olive oil and vinegar. If the soup is too thick, you may thin it with water or tomato juice if you have it. I often would use Bloody Mary mix in my Gazpachos.
- Place in a glass bowl and cover. Let this stand for at least 2 hours. Overnight is great. The rest will allow the smoky, sweet and acidic flavors to meld together.
Note: I used to dice the grilled zucchini and yellow squash while pureeing the rest. This gave the soup a chunky, nice spoon feel.
Note: Feel free to roast these vegetables if a grill is not accessible. You are simply layering flavors. The grill helps to get that smoky flavor but It’s still a unique soup, flavorful bowl of goodness if the veggies are roasted.
Note: Feel free to use what you have. I have used grilled eggplant and all colors of peppers.
