Gazpacho, Version #2

Fresh vegetables, summertime, yada, yada, yada, it’s all I talk about, I know. And I know I just did gazpacho, but seriously how can I possibly get sick of it this time of year? But I think that everyone is on the same page as me with this!

Gazpacho with Cilantro and Avocado Cream

Gazpacho with Avocado Cream

• 8 tomatillos, halved
• 5 medium sized tomatoes, rough chopped, set in a colander to drain for about 20 minutes
• 2 green peppers, rough chopped
• 3 jalapenos (remove seeds and ribs if you prefer less spice), chopped
• 1 small red onion, rough chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, smashed
• 2 cucumbers, peeled, seeds scraped out, rough chopped
• 1/2 cup cilantro, stems picked out
• juice of 1 lime
• 2 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• Avocado Cream, recipe below

In a large bowl, combine tomatillos, tomatoes, green peppers, jalapenos, onion, garlic, and cucumber. Mix all up so evenly distributed.  Add half of veggie mixture to food processor.  Process until somewhat smooth and frothy. Add 1/2 of the cilantro, 1/2 of lime juice, 1/2 of vinegar, and half of olive oil.  Season.  Transfer to serving bowl, and put all remaining ingredients (except Avocado Cream) into processor and process until smooth-ish and frothy. Combine with other gazpacho.  Chill at least 20 minutes.  Serve in bowls with a big dollop of avocado cream and a few sprigs of cilantro.

Avocado Cream

• 1 avocado, removed from skin, pit removed
• 2 heaping tablespoons sour cream
• juice of 1 lime
• 2 tablespoons cilantro
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

Mix avocado, sour cream, lime juice, and cilantro in food processor.  Slowly pour in olive oil. Season with just a bit of salt and pepper.

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Giant Rib-Eyes with Roasted Tomato Vinaigrette and Beet Greens (Or, How I Almost Gave Myself a Heart-Attack for Sunday Dinner)

Sweet Jesus! Were these some giant rib-eyes!  Not paying much attention at the butcher counter, I said, yeah, just give me a couple that are nice and thick…little did I notice that each steak was damn near close to a pound each!  I would like to point out that I was  not able to finish mine.  Or, it might have just been that I got suckered into my begging dog’s cute  little puppy eyes and decided to share with him.  Either way, I’m certain I exceeded my recommended daily allowance of red meat.  Oh well.  You only live once, right?

Grilled Rib-Eyes with Roasted Tomato and Shallot Vinaigrette

As for the beet greens, I’m excited to say those came from our garden.  The beets themselves turned out pretty small and pathetic; we only got a handful or so of nice big ones.  However, we had a nice big bunch of beet tops from all of the measly beets, so I sauteed those and combined them with our acceptable beets that I roasted.

How can I say no to this face?

Rib-Eyes with Roasted Tomato Vinaigrette

Serves 2

• 2 Rib-Eyes (feel free to not go quite so over-board and get ones as big as ours)
• 1/2 pint cherry tomatoes (or any variety of small tomatoes – I think we actually used yellow teardrops.  The key is to use beautifully ripe tomatoes)
• 2 shallots, peeled but left whole
• 2 garlic cloves, left in their skin
• 4 tablespoons olive oil, separated in half
• 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
• 1 tablespoon fresh chopped chives

Generously season rib-eyes with (preferably Kosher) salt and (preferably fresh-cracked) pepper.  Grill over a hot grill about 6 minutes per side for medium rare, depending on size for rib-eyes (a little less if you rib-eyes are smaller).  Let steaks rest after grilling for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, mix cherry tomatoes, shallots, and garlic with 2 tablespoons olive  oil and some salt and pepper.  Roast in a 400 degree oven for about  20 minutes.

Remove garlic from pan and squeeze garlic from thier paper into a medium sized bowl. (The roasty garlic should become all soft and squishy and mellowy-sweet tasting during its time in the oven).  Smash garlic with a fork until it forms a bit of a a paste. Add vinegar and stir up until somewhat mixed up.  Whisk in remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil.  Season with a little salt and pepper.

Roughly chop roasted shallots and add to vinaigrette.  Add tomatoes and any juices that have accumulated in the roasting pan (because those juices are delicious!)  Add chives and give it all a nice stir.  Taste to for any extra needed seasoning.   Spoon over rib-eyes.

Roasted Beets with Sauteed Beet Greens

• About 1/2 pound or so of beets with their greens (tops)
• Olive oil

Cut off beet tops and chop.  Rinse and drain and set aside.

Scrub and trim off root ends of beets.  Put in a roasted pan, drizzle with a little olive oil, and sprinkle with some salt and pepper.  Cover tightly with foil and roast in a 400 degree oven about 35 – 40 minutes, or until you can easily pierce the beet with a knife.  Remove from oven and let cool.

With a paper towel, wipe/rub away outer skin of beets.  Yes, this gets messy and may stain your hands and you’ll probably use a couple paper towels.  But, for me, beets are delicious and totally worth it.

After beets are peeled, cut into quarters (or a manageable size for eating, depending on the size of your beets).

For greens, heat a large skillet over medium heat.  Add a good drizzling of olive oil and heat up pan.  Add beet greens and season with some salt and pepper.  Saute until beet greens get all wilted, about 7-8 minutes.  Toss in the roasted beets and give another little drizzle of olive oil and check to see if needs any more seasoning.

Beets are so pretty!