Macho Gazpacho

 I like all kinds of soup - canned, homemade, leftover, meaty, veggie," noodlely" -  my faves include french onion, broccoli cheddar, cool cucumber (made by Tim), and gazpacho.

Now with that being said... I've only had gazpacho a two times in my life - in Charleston and on a cruise. I always thought "whoa, it's so complicated... it's such a sophisticated soup" HAHA... little did I know gazpacho is pureed veggies with some seasoning. Homemade French onion is much harder and more time consuming. I was inspired by all the fresh, local veggies at Saturday Market downtown Augusta to make gazpacho. I was a little overwhelmed by the volume of recipes out there. Some from Spain, Mexico, South America..... how was I to decide???

But, alas, I went to the Pioneer Woman for a good basic recipe....

Gazpacho

Of course I made changes to suit my palette and preferences... I added a mini pepper and some squash to the veggies, put my cilantro in the blender, added ALOT more hot sauce, and blended most of my veggies (I don't like chunky gazpacho,even though I've only I had it twice). OH and also... After tasting to make sure my seasoning was good, I knew it needed something else. I had the bitter, sweet, acidity, savory... but it needed tangy/citrus/sour. I had the lime out to give the bowl a lil squeeze before serving but the whole thing needed it. It was perfect, exactly what was needed!!!

yummy fresh, local veggies from the farmers market... much cheaper than grocery store

 I chopped my veggies and put them all in a bowl to mix and mingle.

The blender is ready to slice and dice!!!

The veggies are so beautiful together.

 I blended the veggies in batches to get a nice puree.

 I have to say the soup looked much better in person than in this picture.

I sliced the French loaf, coated with seasoned butter, and set to the side.

 mmmmmm. grilled toast.....also one of my faves!!

 Shrimp skewers 
**I've learned to place kabobs/skewers at an angle on the grill - prevents them from falling between the wires.**

 Chilled gazpacho with grilled shrimp and toasties.

Nothing goes better with cold, spicy soup than my Rolling Rock!!!

Enjoy!!

"Oh, Jack talkie Thai"

Quote:  Gaylord Focker in Meet the Parents....

Something you will learn about me is that I love one-liners

• Movies - "You're killing me Smalls"  "You wanna go to jail or you wanna go home"
• Popular - "struggle is real"  "that's what she said"  "GTFO"
• Personal - "rookie"   "holy bajankies"  "don't tell me what to do, I'm grown"

So when we have Thai food, I always think about Meet the Parents - "Oh, Jack talkie Thai"!!! I say that quote repeatedly while I cook and eat. Anyway, I'm sure you've figured out that I cooked Thai food last night. I've tried several different recipes, but primarily use 2 - one for seafood/meat and one for veggies/noodles. What could be better than shrimp and a new jar of curry paste???

I gathered my supplies and prepped the veggies. One thing I did different this time was make my own shrimp stock. I usually use chicken or veggie stock, but I already had the shrimp shells; so I wanted to know what difference it made - if any. I also added water chestnuts, peppers, toms, and carrots.

Something you might notice in this pic - my green onion. Don't throw away the root of your green onion!!! I put the root in a small container of filtered water. It will grow another stalk. It won't be as thick or sturdy as the first, but I get at least one more growth before I discard. Just a way to reuse your veggies!! Also, I use an herb saver for my cilantro. I cut 1/2" from the stem before placing in filtered water in the herb saver. I change the water every couple of days and cut new stems. Mine lasts for weeks!!!


As I said before, I wanted to try this shrimp stock thing. I filled a pot with about 8 cups of water, added S/P, lime zest and the shrimp peels.

I brought it to boil, then simmered for about 45 mins.


**** I went outside to water the plants and came back in to check the stock.
Well........... Let me say this - If you want to keep your house from smelling like a fish market, then DON'T make your own stock!!! I quickly turned on the stove fan and lit a candle. Unfortunately, the candle I had was flavored "Beach and Sand" - now I was in a fish market at the beach!!!! UGH!!! ****

I wasn't turning back now. So I strained the shrimp peels and returned the liquid to the pot to reduce by half. I hoped the fan and candle would help a little.

Next I sauteed' my onion and garlic. I added the curry paste and spices to toast and brown for about 1 min before adding my stock.

Yes.... That IS about 1/2 of the jar. It's ok, I promise!



I added about 2 cups of stock and reduced before adding the coconut milk.

After reducing, I added the coconut milk, covered and let all those flavors simmer and meld together.

 Meanwhile, I sliced my rolls and drizzled the toast slices with olive oil, garlic powder, parsley, and kosher salt.

 About 5 mins before serving, I added my shrimp and veggies to poach in the "liquid gold". I served over plain white rice, topped with sliced green onion and cilantro, the toasts and of course a nice glass of Shiraz.

I have to say, I will stick with my usual stock. Not only because of the smell but the dish didn't taste as "clean" (if that makes any sense). Here's the original recipe to follow: http://simply-delicious-food.com/2012/08/22/coconut-prawn-curry/

Enjoy!!