Skip to main content

Memorial Day Weekend Fare

This lovely weekend is the official start to summer. Today, I made my first trip to the Minneapolis Farmer's Market. I was able to make it for the best asparagus in the world. I can't wait to cook with it this week!
My sister Jennifer hosted a BBQ tonight and I wanted to make one of my favorite spring dish to share. Watermelon Gazpacho. The inspiration for this was a gazpacho at Macy's Marketplace. It was watermelon, but it lacked the texture of traditional gazpacho. So my version has chopped up watermelon (make sure to remove rind and seeds), chopped yellow and orange pepper, sliced cucumbers, shallot, garlic, chopped tomatoes ( I used yellow and red medium sized ones I bought at the farmer's market), a can of Ro-Tel tomatoes (with peppers) and half of a jalepeno with seeds. To season, salt, pepper, lemon and lime zest and juice (one of each) and red wine vinegar. I also add some olive oil at the very end. I use my food processor in batches. I puree the watermelon first, as it turns to liquid pretty quick and is pretty messy. Then I mix each batch together and taste each time I mix for seasoning. It really does best if it can sit overnight in the fridge. It is great served with crunched up chips, popcorn or something crunchy. I also honestly, could drink it out of a glass I like it so much. I know multiple versions of this chilled soup and really like them all. Sometimes, I add more peppers, cucumbers, sometimes I add bread to thicken it. You are able to tailor it to your favorites and blend. Everyone enjoyed it at the BBQ AND there was some left over for me to take home!

Comments

  1. Even my non-veggie fella loved it! I, of course, cannot wait to make it 'cause it was yum.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Happy Mother's Day!

I come from a family of food lovers. We are huge fans of grazing and breakfast food. For Mother's Day, we went home to Stillwater to cook for Mom. Her request was ham, mushroom and cheese omlettes. I am not a huge fan of omlettes but mostly I am not skilled in omlette making(so didn't want to set myself up). I diplomatically suggested to Mom that a scramble would be better, she was game. I am a firm believer that eggs should not be overcooked and dry. The key is adding the ingredients before the eggs are cooked completely. My favorite ham right now is the Boar's Head Honey Ham from Lunds. I like to get it shaved, the thinner the better. In addition to ham, I added shredded sharp cheddar cheese, mushrooms (saute before adding), fresh spinach (also cooked before) and fresh cherry tomatoes(chopped). For the side, I roasted potatoes. Seriously, I have never met a potato I didn't like. I like all versions of them. For Mom, I roasted them diced with shallots. First, I drizz...

Favorites from the box and summer salads, part 1

This week in the box we got more lettuce, but there were 2 treats I really enjoyed. 1, strawberries. It is truly amazing how different strawberries straight from the farm taste vs. the grocery store. They were really tart and melt in your mouth. Number 2, fresh dill. It was possibly the best dill I have ever had. The first thing I did with it was add it to the lettuce to make a salad. I blanched asparagus, cut those up and added chopped green onion. I made a quick lemon vinagrette with simply, lemon zest and juice, salt and pepper, shallot chopped finely and olive oil. The second thing I did with the dill was roast small yukon gold potatoes with more dill, chopped shallot, olive oil, salt and pepper, and cayenne. Dill and potatoes make some magic connection, I couldn't stop eating them! (this goes back to my long enduring love of potatoes and the statement I have made "I have never met a potato I didn't like". ) I really do love salads in the summer. The abundance o...