Gazpacho: Round One

This weekend marks the opening of the Omaha Farmers Market. Early in the season though, especially when we’ve had such a cold, cruddy spring, the pickings will probably be limited. I’m confident that there will be tomatoes though. And probably lots of them.

I’m not complaining about the availability of tomatoes. The problem is I know I will buy a lot of them simply because they’ll be irresistible; I will, more than likely, buy more tomatoes than I can actually consume.

And then along came the #LetsLunch May assignment – Liquid Lunch!

Admittedly, when I first saw the words “Liquid Lunch,” my mind immediately leaped to cocktails. It wasn’t a far leap, as I’m sure y’all can understand, but then I read the rest of the info and realized the #LetsLunch bunch was getting into something a little more serious.

Our pal Karen has been on a liquid diet while going through cancer treatment. So our Liquid #LetsLunch posts this month are in her honor as she works on getting all better.

Which brings me back to those tomatoes. The tomatoes that I hate to see go bad because I’m so blinded by their beauty at the Farmers Market that I buy more than I can consume. It also reminds me of conversation I had (via Twitter) with Paula over at bell’alimento about a Gazpacho recipe she featured on her site and how easy it’d be to make it a Bloody Mary Gazpacho. A random thing to remember, but that’s how it goes.

Et voila! My Liquid #LetsLunch idea was born.

All things considered, I knew I’d need to make gazpacho a couple of times before really perfecting the flavor balance. This is a recipe that’s all about the veggies and getting the seasonings just right to bring out their best flavor.

So, last weekend, it was round one in the effort to perfect my gazpacho-making skills. I used Paula’s recipe (find it here), but substituted fresh tomatoes for the canned variety.

Lessons Learned:

1. My blender is too small to make a batch of gazpacho as detailed in Paula’s recipe. I should’ve cut the recipe in half or blendered (yes, I know, that’s not actually a word) it in batches and combined it at the end.
2. Tomatoes bought in late April, while pretty and tempting, don’t really have enough flavor for gazpacho.
3. Chipotle Tabasco makes up for the flavor that spring tomatoes don’t have. So does some more salt and pepper.

Things I’ll Do Next Time:

1. Make a smaller batch of gazpacho or blender the ingredients in batches.
2. Hope for better, more summery tomatoes.
3. Continue to use Chipotle Tabasco, because it makes just about everything better.
4. Add vodka to make it a Bloody Mary Gazpacho.

If you’d like to read more posts from the #LetsLunch bunch, you can find us on Twitter using the #LetsLunch hashtag. I’ll also be adding links to group’s posts as I can.

More Liquid Lunch Ideas from the #LetsLunch Bunch!

A Tiger in the Kitchen – Miso-Bacon-Corn Chowder

Blog Well Done – Asparagus & Artichoke Bisque

Caitlin Shetterly on Tour – Spring Greens Soup

Chez Us – Mango Lassi

Cooking in the Fruit Bowl – Peanut Butter Espresso Smoothie

Cowgirl Chef – Cucumber-Avocado Gazpacho

Free Range Cookies – Crack Pie Inspired Shake

Hot Curries & Cold Beer – Spring Pea & Mint Soup

Showfood Chef – Nut Milk (tee hee hee!)
Wok Star – Turnip Pork Soup

PS – Sorry there aren’t any photos. I ran into some technical difficulties with my camera (i.e. my camera battery died and I was too hungry to wait for it to charge before eating and there hasn’t been a chance to recreate the moment since). =)