gazpacho

well, here we go…after a bit of downtime on the blog (ok, a looooong break), we are newly inspired with some great recipes and images to share. we did a bit of a redesign and made room for some larger photos.  pictures and pancakes will most likely be a fun work in progress, but we really hope to get more images, recipes and those that inspire us up on the blog a lot more often in the second half of 2013!  let us know what you think and maybe what you might like to see. 

this recipe is a simple summer soup that’s refreshing, quick and takes advantage of tomatoes at their peak ripeness. tomatoes that are a bit soft or almost overripe are perfect for this soup! your average red or your favorite heirloom varietal can work just as well as yellow tomatoes and feel free to garnish with whatever veggies you have on hand.

we love eating anything out of these gorgeous bowls from the fabulous Nikole Herriott of www.herriottgrace.com .  made in england by sue paraskeva, we'd love a set of 12.  and if only we could have one of everything from the shop our kitchen would be complete…

we are heading to Birmingham, AL soon for work – any restaurants or shops we shouldn’t miss?

Yellow Tomato Gazpacho

makes 4 cups

2 pounds ripe yellow tomatoes, cored & chopped

1 small cucumber, peeled & chopped

½ to 1 small jalapeño, seeded & diced

1 clove garlic, smashed

2 tbs olive oil

2 tbs red wine vinegar

½ tsp salt

2 whole cloves garlic

1 rustic loaf, sliced and grilled

garnish with thinly sliced candy stripe beets and lemon cucumber, finely diced red onion, thai basil leaves and freshly ground black pepper

in a food processor or blender, combine tomatoes, cucumber, jalapeño, garlic, olive oil, vinegar and salt and puree for about 5 minutes or until your desired texture. chill for at least 1 hour.

slice a bit of the root end off garlic cloves and place in a square of foil. drizzle with a teaspoon of olive oil each, close the foil pouch and roast at 400 F for about 1 hour or until tender and soft. let cool slightly and then squeeze out garlic paste to separate from the clove.

divide soup between bowls and garnish with beets, cucumber, onion, basil and pepper. serve with grilled rustic bread spread with roasted garlic.

all images ©andrew purcell 2013