You say tomato, I say hell yes

I think it's clear by now that I have some pretty strong feelings about food, but few ingredients inspire the rapture that I experience at peak tomato season. We're not there yet, but local tomato perfection happens on the East Coast beginning in July and stretches almost through September. I was fortunate to grow up in a home with a sizeable vegetable garden and when the tomato harvest hit, I was sent door to door to our neighbors to offer up the bounty we couldn't consume alone. I remember my parents sending me out into the garden with a huge metal collander to pick the tomatoes that were so huge and beautiful that they bent their plants to the ground. I also remember hauling pounds and pounds of tomatoes inside and slicing one open, salting it and eating it like a piece of fruit (which technically, it is, but that's a conversation for another time). The memory of the scent of the tomatoes, their plants and the heat are practically tangible to me. Heaven.

As I type, I'm looking out my dining room window at my little cherry tomato plants in my container garden. They won't bear fruit until much later in the month at the earliest, but I can't wait! These are the things that keep me going. Still, some nice tomatoes are popping up in stores now.

I feel like people tend to pick tomatoes by color alone. Color can be a good indicator, but it's certainly not everything. A lot of hot house tomatoes available in super markets have gorgeous red outsides and pale, mealy, sad insides. Tragic. I think the best way to pick a tomato is to smell it. To me, the smell is earthy and warm and sort of like what I assume heaven will smell like, but again, I think that's the rapture talking. I actually own tomato scented cologne (demeterfragrance.com) so objectivity might not be for sale here today. I think that during the summer months, you should definitely go to a farm stand or a farmers' market to get your tomatoes. There's not much point in making this recipe in the winter.

This recipe is perfect for showcasing peak tomatoes. It's not a traditional Spanish Gazpacho, which has much less going on and consists mainly of tomatoes, stale bread and sherry vinegar, but this soup does boast some pretty amazing seasonal flavors. It's also really flexible. No red bell peppers? Use whatever color you like. Don't like garlic? Leave it out and kick up the lemon. The only really important part is the tomatoes.

Not-so-traditional Gazpacho

Ingredients:

8 - 10 medium fresh, ripe tomatoes, seeded. No need to be too precise.

4 scallions, rinsed well with outer layer removed, trimmed of root end and tough green tops; PLUS one scallion, cleaned, trimmed and diced, set aside for garnish, not blending

2 cucumbers

1 jalapeno, stem, seeds & membrane removed

3 or 4 cloves garlic, peeled

1 cup fresh cilantro or parsley leaves, whichever you prefer (or a combo of both)

1 red bell pepper, seeds and membranes removed

3 T. sherry vinegar (you may use red wine vinegar if you prefer)

1 12 oz. can low sodium V-8

2 stalks of celery, diced

The juice of 1 lemon

kosher salt, cracked pepper and red pepper flake or your fave hot sauce to taste

Instructions:

Peel skin from 1 & 1/2 cucumbers. Split down the center and scoop seeds out with a spoon. Dice remaining 1/2 cucumber and reserve for garnish later. In the blender or bowl of a food processor, combine 1/2 the tomatoes & the cucumbers, half the vinegar & herbs, garlic, peppers and scallions. Pulse until desired texture is acheived, adding V-8 a little at a time just to keep the mixture moist enough to process. I typically do not use the whole can of V-8. I like it pretty finely pureed, but you are free to leave it chunkier if you like. Pour into a large bowl and set aside. Repeat process with remaining ingredients, tomatoes through vinegar, and as much V-8 as you need. Don't worry about putting exactly the same amount of each ingredient into each batch...breaking the recipes into two batches just allows you better control and is easier than dealing with an overflowing blender and will make no difference once everything is mixed together.

Mix two batches together and taste. Season with lemon juice, salt, pepper and hot sauce to your taste. Stir in diced cucumber, scallions and celery reserved for garnish...this step just provides a nice crunch to the texture. Cover soup tightly and chill for at least an hour before serving.

I like the gazpacho just as it is, served with a piece of good, rustic bread toasted in a pan with a little olive oil and a grating of manchego or parmesean cheese melted on top (as shown), but you may also garnish with a drizzle of really good olive oil or a dollop of sour cream (not both) or a tablespoon of coarse chopped herbs. Makes 8 - 10 servings. Enjoy.