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Woman on the Verge of a Heat Breakdown
I was so grateful this week for the brief rain and break in the heat because I felt like I was about to melt. Lindsay and I (and about 1,200 other people) must be clinically insane for doing the Urban Assault Ride in the heat last Sunday. It was fun, but I could not get cooled down the rest of the day despite the cold shower, gallons of ice water and spending the rest of the day in the A/C. When it's this hot, I don't want to turn on the stove. In the past, I would have turned to the grill, but, in my current apartment-dwelling state, I more of ten turn to salads and cold soups. During the peak of the heat last week, all I wanted was gazpacho - cool, tangy, and a little spicy gazpacho with a slice of cold avocado on top. Oh yes; that will fix it. Of course, when I think of gazpacho, I inevitably end up musing about the 1988 Pedro Almodovar movie Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown which oddly features gazpacho in a few scenes. I guess I didn't know what gazpacho was before that movie which is probably why I associate it with the film. But I digress. If you are a gazpacho fan this is the perfect time to make it. Tomatoes and peppers are both in season which is a key to great gazpacho. While you can make the soup with hot house or canned tomatoes, it is not going to have the same rich flavor.  Beat the Heat Gazpacho 1 1/2 pounds tomatoes 1 large or 2 small cucumbers, peeled, seeded and chopped (if you want a zestier flavor, buy a mix of tomatoes - I used red, yellow and green zebra) 1 bell pepper, chopped 1/2 cup chopped onio 2 jalapenos or hot peppers, seeded and minced 1 medium garlic clove, minced 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil 1 lime, juiced 2 teaspoons Sherry or white wine vinegar 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce 1 teaspoon cumin 1 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper Tomato juice 1/4 bunch of cilantro, chopped 1 avocado, sliced or diced To prepare the tomatoes which need to be seeded, peeled and chopped: Fill a large bowl 3/4 full of ice water. Fill a large pot halfway full of water, set over high heat and bring to a boil. Make an X with a knife on the bottom of each tomato. Drop the tomatoes into the boiling water for 10-15 seconds. Remove the tomatoes from the boiling water and transfer to the ice bath. Let the tomatoes cool until you can comfortably handle them ( a few minutes). Remove and pat them dry. Peel the skin off the tomatoes, then core (take out the tough center stem part) and seed the tomatoes. Place the tomatoes into a large mixing bowl. Add the cucumber, bell pepper, onion, hot peppers, garlic clove, olive oil, lime juice, vinegar, Worcestershire, cumin, salt and pepper and stir to combine. Transfer the mixture to a blender or food processor and puree for 20 seconds or so on high speed. If your mixture is too thick, add tomato juice as needed to get the consistency you want. You might need to adjust the seasoning a bit after you do this. I added a little more lime, salt and cumin after thinning. Cover and chill for 2 hours and up to overnight. This is a critical step! You want the flavors to meld; don't serve it right after making it. Garnish with chopped cilantro and avocado.  related searches : Woman
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