gazpacho

I was so happy that this past weekend brought some much needed sunshine to Santa Barbara. Although it is a fact that June gloom is upon us, it is still so nice to have a day or two here and there when the fog retreats and allows us to soak up the rays. I made sure to take full advantage - I rode my bike around town instead of driving, played tennis with Mike, and caught up on some poolside reading. We even cleaned our apartment - opened the windows, washed everything, and hung it all outside to dry. It was so great not to have to try to drape my rugs and blankets around my apartment on every last hook, chair, and hanger, as I usually do when the sun is not out.

Apparently, we were not the only ones soaking up the sun because at this Saturday's Santa Barbara Farmers Market, all of the fruits and vegetables were especially sweet and flavorful. I have to admit that I went a little crazy on fruit - Blenheim apricots, Santa Rosa plums, Cherokee heirloom tomatoes, avocados, Seascape strawberries, blackberries, yellow peaches and nectarines, Pixie tangerines, and Meyer lemons. I also picked up some Persian cucumbers, fresh red onion and garlic, yellow bell pepper, spicy salad mix, and French green beans. Later, when I was unloading all of these different fruits and vegetables, my kitchen table seemed to overflow with color - it is truly amazing how lucky we are to have such a variety of vibrant produce grown so close that it is picked at its prime and delivered at its height of ripeness.

With all of these tasty ingredients, I decided to make a meal that would let them speak for themselves - no heat, no spice, no fuss. A cool meal also seemed perfect considering the warm weather. And thus my summer gazpacho was born.

For this recipe, it is important to use ingredients at their height of ripeness so that they give the soup depth and distinguishable flavor. I used a purple Cherokee heirloom tomato that I picked up from Tutti Frutti Farms (they are SUPER flavorful right now!), but you could easily substitute any type of tomato as long as it is juicy and flavorful. Their cherry tomatoes were perfectly sweet - like candy. If you do not have access to ripe produce, hold off on making this recipe until you do - it is definitely worth the wait!

gazpacho
serves 2 as a meal, 4 as a side

1 large tomato
2 small cucumbers
1 red onion
1 yellow or orange bell pepper
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1 lemon, juiced
1/4 cup olive oil
sea salt

Coarsely chop the tomato, cucumber (peeled), red onion, and bell pepper. Set aside half of the chopped cucumber and red onion for garnish.

Place in a food processor and blend until smooth, about 1 minute. Add olive oil and sea salt and blend on high for 30 seconds.

Stir in lemon juice and cherry tomatoes.

Garnish with remaining cucumber and red onion.

If you like, serve with crusty bread that has been toasted and rubbed with raw garlic and drizzled with olive oil.