White gazpacho...refreshing, summery, easy and healthy. Sign me up!
I was very skeptical about this week's selection, chosen by Lauren and Paul at I'll Eat You. Wet bread and I have a hate-hate relationship. I seriously had a hard time understanding how anything containing wet white bread would be something I wouldn't throw out, not to mention love.
I started out with a loaf of olive oil rosemary bread, thinking if I only needed a couple of slices, let's buy something that stood a chance of being eaten. My reasoning was that the rosemary would enhance the flavors of the soup nicely.
After I was well into the prep, I discovered that I was out of slivered almonds. I had to sub unblanched whole almonds. I also nixxed the grapes since I'm not a grape fan. I cut off a couple of slices of the bread and poured the water over it and went on with the rest of the prep. When the time came, I tossed the bread slices into the FP, and turned it on.
Now, I don't know if anyone else noticed that this didn't really need two minutes to process, but mine came together rather quickly. I poured it into bowls, garnished with the reserved cucumber and almonds, and served it. The verdict? We loved it! This was a surprisingly wonderful summer soup, and since the food processor does the work, prep is minimal. It's very creamy, but that creaminess is from the dreaded wet bread not from actual cream! The garlic flavor was very prominent (but I doubled the garlic since we really like garlic).
Next time (and there WILL be a next time), I will buy the grapes because I think they will add a nice contrast to the flavor of the soup. We loved the sharpness of the garlic, but if you don't like that flavor, you can parboil it to take out some of the sharpness.
Thanks, Lauren and Paul for picking a real winner! And if you'd like to see what the other Craving Ellie in My Belly cooks did with this week's recipe, check it out here.
10 comments:
I'm so glad you ended up liking this. Wet bread is so gross, isn't it? Definitely try the grapes next time because they're really good in the gazpacho. Or anything sweet would be a nice contrast -- like a sweet red pepper or a fresh tomato.
I had the same feelings towards the wet bread. In fact I was trying to figure out a way around it but..then decided, what the heck and found some old frozen dinner rolls to toss in. It worked! We loved it!
Par boiling the garlic is a good idea. I actually can't believe that I made something that was too garlicky for me! I am glad to hear that this was a hit for you. I would recommend trying the grapes next time, it adds a nice sweeter dimension.
I'm so glad you liked yours! I like that you served your in ramekins!!
IMO wet bread is only one step less gross than wet dog, though the former has proven some culinary aptitude over time (read: panade).
Glad you liked this one, and the quickness was definitely a plus.
--Nick
Thanks for the encouragement to get past the wet bread. I broke my blender on a pound of frozen mangos and dont have an FP, so I didn't try this yet, but when i do, I will brave the wet bread!
I am really glad I checked out your latest post. I hadn't discovered Craving Ellie in My Belly, and I am going to join now! Thanks for posting over at my blog as well!
I'm going to have to make this. It sounds delicious.
I agree it came together pretty quickly...I am psyched to see what our next recipe is..
Great job!
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