too hot to cook … Blender Gazpacho

Man, oh man, it’s hot. It’s hot everywhere. I know it’s summer and it’s supposed to be warm but every year it just slaps me in the face when I’m the least prepared. I grew up in Arizona; you think I’d be acclimated. No way. Living in the Midwest has made me soft, temperature-wise, to both the heat and the cold. I’ve become a typically Midwesterner whiny weather baby. How unoriginal. When it’s this hot, I don’t feel like eating and I certainly don’t feel like cooking.

I recently returned from several weeks in France and you know what? It was hot there too. Hotter than blazes and the French don’t typically have air conditioning so it was especially oppressive. I spent a few warm weeks with my lovely friend Kate Hill, she of the butchery lessons, lovely cooking school and my favorite giant dog, Bacon. I always enjoy myself immensely with Kate. The woman can throw a party together in no time, which is exactly what we did one Sunday with a gigantic paella, a lot of wine and a big group of friends.

In the middle of pouring icy cold rose and assembling the paella, she shouts out to me in the chaos “Hey Kathy! Can you make some gazpacho with these tomatoes?” Sure. Sure I can. I grabbed the bowl of beautiful tomatoes we’d purchased the day before at the village market, an onion, a few cloves of garlic and found some space.

I’d made gazpacho a million times before, the kind my mom used to make, chunky and thick with tomatoes and cucumbers and onions. But we didn’t have enough of those ingredients, much less a cucumber, to feed all those present. So I decided to toss what I had in a blender, whirl it up and call it a day. Little amuse bouche cups of sunny yellow gazpacho coming right up.

Into the blender went mostly yellow tomatoes, half an onion, a few cloves of garlic, salt, pepper and a good glug or two of red wine vinegar. I whizzed that up until smooth, poured it into small wine glasses with a few bits of diced red onion on top for color. It was delicious but I didn’t think it was anything overly impressive. I clearly wasn’t prepared for the response. People loved it. They asked me for the “recipe” which I sheepishly admitted was rummaging through the vegetable bin and tossing my finds in the blender. Ridiculously simple but I had to admint those bright flavors in that heat really hit the spot.

So I encourage you, as tomatoes become bright, juicy and crazy delicious, to whip up your own “blender gazpacho”. Do what I did – throw whatever you find or need to get rid of into the blender. Buzz it up. Done. It’s the perfect amount of effort to give on a hot summer day, which as you guessed is next to nothing.

My friend Mardi from eatlivetravelwrite.com took this one. Lovely.

STRESS THERAPY BAKING FACTOR: LAZY PERFECTION. Nothing to this which is perfectly perfect for these hot summer days. The effort required is spot on and the soup is unbelievably refreshing. You can make it as fancy as you want or as simple as you need. With a couple shots of vodka I think it would make a damn fine bloody mary too. So there’s that.

another really good gazpacho: Chunky Gazpacho
Six years ago: Tart Tips, Sour Cherry Sorbet
Five years ago: Sour Cherry Cobbler, Exploring Minnesota – Betty’s Pies and Pie Shakes
Four years ago: Life in Southwest France
Three years ago: Bastille Day Bomb Pops, Sour Cherry Slab Pie
Two years ago: Rhubarb Beer Jam, Spicy Pineapple Paletas, Hungarian Cherry Soup
Last year: Guinness Crème Anglaise

BLENDER GAZPACHO
Makes 3 cups, easily multiplied or decreased based on how many tomatoes you have

1 ¼ pounds ripe tomatoes, cored & roughly chopped (about 3 good sized tomatoes)
¼ onion, roughly chopped (about ¼ cup)
1 garlic clove, peeled & roughly chopped
2 Tablespoons red wine or sherry vinegar
2 Tablespoons good quality olive oil
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
garnish: chopped red onion and fresh basil

1. Throw everything in the blender. Whirl the beejezus out of it.
2. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed.
3. Chill or pour immediately into small cups.
4. Garnish with whatever you want – red onion, avocado, basil, chives or parsley.

This handsome devil is Bacon. As you can see, he’s very petite.

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