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gazpacho: sunshine in a bowl

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[Editor’s note: this is an archive post from the original Acornometrics blog on Tumblr. We posted it soon after we had uprooted ourselves from our beloved homestead Acorn Ridge Gardens in LaCrosse, Indiana, and moved to Oberlin, Ohio. We’re re-posting it now because we just made our first gazpacho of 2021.]

August 12, 2013

We’re having a bit of separation anxiety from leaving our garden behind at Acorn Ridge and moving to Kendal at Oberlin. But frankly, we’re not missing all the back-breaking work. Fortunately, there is an excellent farmers market in Oberlin and lots of farm stands nearby. So we have had plenty of tasty, fresh, often organic produce available all summer long.

Tomatoes are fully in season now, and we have been getting particularly tasty golden cherry tomatoes at the Saturday market (our favorite is one called ‘Sun Gold’). The plethora of tomatoes means it’s gazpacho time! And these golden cherries make for a really tasty outcome. Here is our favorite recipe.

CLASSIC ANDALUSIAN GAZPACHO

(Adapted from Restaurant El Faro in Cádiz, Spain in Gourmet, August 2002)

The classic Andalusian gazpacho is found all over the region with, according to the authors of this recipe, surprisingly few variations; most chefs prefer to allow the pure taste of the tomatoes, Sherry vinegar, and olive oil to shine through.

Any ripe tomatoes will suffice for this recipe, but we are partial to the “Sun Gold” cherry tomato. The result is like sunshine in a bowl.

Yield: Makes 4 to 8 servings (depending on serving size)

Active Time: 30 minutes

Yield: 1/2 gallon

Total Time: 3 ½ hours

INGREDIENTS

1 (3-inch-long) piece baguette

4 garlic cloves

1 teaspoons salt

3 Tablespoons Sherry vinegar “reserva” (or similar)

1 teaspoon palm sugar (or other raw sugar, or omit)

4 lbs. ripe tomatoes (whole cherries, or cored and quartered if larger)

2/3 cup extra-virgin Andalusian olive oil (or similar)

METHOD

Soak bread in ½ cup water 1 minute, then squeeze dry, discarding soaking water.

Mince garlic and sweat it with a little olive oil, salt, and fresh-cracked white pepper in microwave (or in a small skillet over a low flame). 

Place the garlic, bread, salt, vinegar, sugar, and half of the tomatoes in a food processor with the cutting blade and process until tomatoes are very finely chopped. Gradually add half of the oil in a slow stream, blending until as smooth as possible, about 1 minute. Put this first half of the soup into a Foley food mill (or similar fine sieve tool) and force into a large bowl, pressing firmly on solids. Discard solids.

Place the other half of tomatoes in the food processor and process until they are very finely chopped. Gradually add the remaining half of the oil in a slow stream, blending until as smooth as possible, about 1 minute.

Put this second half of the soup into the mill (or sieve) and force into the large bowl, pressing firmly on solids. Discard solids. Whisk together the combined soup thoroughly and transfer to a 1/2-gallon glass jar and chill, covered, until cold, at least 3 hours or overnight.

Adjust final seasoning with salt, pepper, and vinegar before serving.

Garnish possibilities: sprinkling of Aleppo pepper, dollop of creme fraiche, strewn snipped chives, finely chopped cucumber, dollop of greek yogurt, cucumber raita, chopped hard-boiled egg … 

Sun Gold cherry tomato gazpacho with a floated zucchini fritter, dollop of cucumber raita, and a sprinkle of Aleppo pepper. (photo credit: Larry Dunn)

[downloadable recipe follows]

CLASSIC-ANDALUSIAN-GAZPACHODownload

hot dish tater tot pot pie

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By Larry Dunn, December 29, 2020

Awhile back we got obsessed with tater-tot-topped hot dish recipes, in part because of their mildly odd upper Midwestern roots as potluck dinner fare, and in part because Oberlin is a tater tot mecca, thanks to The Feve, a local watering hole.

Out here on the internet, you can find plenty of tater tot hot dish recipes with a classic Midwestern quick-fix approach, using ground beef, frozen vegetables, and canned soup. But in developing our own recipe, we were much more intent on a made-from-scratch approach. So ours features fresh vegetables and a scratch-made bechamel sauce. The recipe is include in this post, and there is also a link to a downloadable PDF at the bottom.

HOT DISH: TATER TOT TOPPED SALMON POT PIE

Our own take on the tater tot hot dish phenomenon, with a make-from-scratch approach. It specifies left-over grilled salmon, but it can also be made with canned salmon (easiest to use the skinless and boneless types), any leftover fish or roast chicken, or even all vegetables. Any of the veggies can be substituted or omitted. In order to ensure the tater tots get crispy, we pre-bake them in the oven to 12 to 15 minutes.

INGREDIENTS

2 medium carrots, roll-cut or in a medium dice
1 medium onion, diced
1 stalk of celery, finely diced
1/2 pound of mushrooms, sliced or chopped
2 to 4 cloves of garlic
1 Tablespoon of olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup dry white wine

4 Tablespoons of butter
4 Tablespoons of flour
2 cups of milk
1 cup of broth (or sub another cup of milk)
dash of hot sauce
pinch of nutmeg, freshly grated
salt and pepper to taste
8 to 12 ounces leftover grilled salmon (or canned salmon)
1 cup of frozen peas
1 to 2 Tablespoons chopped fresh herbs (parsley, dill, or thyme)

1 to 1-1/2 pounds of tater tots (depending on shape of baking dish and desired density of tots)

METHOD

If pre-cooking the tater tots, spread them on a parchment-lined baking sheet and roast in an oven preheated to 450F for about 12 minutes until they start to crisp and brown. Set aside.

Prepare the vegetables and sauté in a skillet over medium heat until the carrots start to soften, with a bit of salt and pepper. Increase the heat and deglaze the pan with the white wine. Reduce the white wine almost completely and set the veggies aside.

In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter until frothy. Add the flour and stir to absorb the butter and cook it a bit. Lower the heat to medium-low and start adding the 2 cups of milk, about 1/3 of it at a time. Stir frequently to avoid lumps. When the sauce is bubbling and thickening with all the milk, add the broth and stir to combine and bring back to heat. Season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg.

Drop the heat to low and add in the salmon and the reserved vegetables. Stir to combine. Add the salmon, chopped herbs, and frozen peas and stir to combine. Taste and adjust seasoning. Pour the mixture into to 9×13 in. glass baking dish or a ~3-quart ceramic casserole dish.

Preheat the oven to 350F. Arrange the tater tots in an attractive manner on top of the pot pie mixture. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until the tots are nice and brown and the mixture is bubbling. Cool for about 10 to 15 minutes to let it set, then serve.

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