Roasted Gazpacho

What an amazing day at the farmers market! Governor Hassan selected Salem's market to proclaim National Farmers Market Week and the start of Eat Local Month. To honor her visit we hosted a farm-to-table tasting featuring zucchini quiche, maple shooters and gazpacho. What better way to showcase many vegetables from the market in one simple soup? I was amazed at how many people asked “how much?” as they wanted to buy it to take home. It also amazed me to see so many people who hadn’t tasted gazpacho before. Gazpacho is definitely a love-hate food. “Cold tomato soup?” was the most common reaction of the non-believers. While roasting the vegetables is not necessary, I think it brings out more flavor. One customer asked if I ever smoked tomatoes. The answer was a quick no. I bought a small smoker and am curious to try…

The quiche was a huge hit. People actually came to the market because they saw the Cooks Corner segment and they wanted to buy the ingredients to make the quiche. This is exactly what we'd hope would happen.

What you need:

·         2 ears of corn, husked, parboiled, grilled and cooled; kernels removed; reserve 2 tbs for garnish

·         2-4 garlic cloves

·         4 sweet peppers (red, yellow, orange), cored and cut into 1/2"pieces

·         2 lbs tomatoes, chopped

·         1 zucchini, cut into 1/2” pieces

·         1 summer squash, cut into 1/2” pieces

·         1 white onion, cut into 1/2” pieces, reserve 2 tbs for garnsih

·         About 1/2 c Devo Tuscan Herb Extra Virgin Olive Oil (or plain extra-virgin olive oil)

·         1 tsp ground cumin

·         2 c tomato juice (spicy or not)

·         2 c vegetable broth

·         1/4 c chopped cilantro

·         1 seedless cucumber, diced

·         1 lime, juiced

·         Freshly ground sea salt and black pepper

What you do:

·         Preheat oven to 425°.

·         Line 2 baking sheets with aluminum foil.

·         Add garlic, peppers, tomatoes, zucchini, squash and onion in single layer.

·         Drizzle with EVOO and season with salt and pepper.

·         Roast until vegetables begin to char, ~30-40 min.

·         Remove from oven and let rest for 5-10 min.

·         Transfer to mixing bowl.

·         Add corn, except reserved, to vegetables.

·         Add tomato juice, vegetable broth and spices.

·         Puree vegetable mixture using blender, food processor or immersion blender.

·         Pour gazpacho into lg bowl for cooling.

·         Season with salt and pepper.

·         Cover and refrigerate until chilled, about 2 hours.

·         In sm bowl, mix cucumber, remaining corn and onion, and lime juice.

·         Season with salt and pepper.

·         Spoon gazpacho into serving bowls.

·         Garnish with cucumber mixture.