Farmer's market gazpacho, plus how I almost drowned Anthony Bourdain

I have a confession. Last week I almost drowned Anothony Bourdain. I know what you're thinking: what'd he do to deserve that? The answer: nothing. It was an accident. I was running a bath and was taking Kitchen Confidential with me, a book I've wanted to read for years, and I knocked it in the water. It's finally dry, but it's a wrinkled mess - I am devouring it page by page regardless. I can just hear Bourdain's voice in my head as I read. I'm getting through it quickly, so I need your help. What other foodie books should I be reading? Leave your favorites and I'll start a list. Let me know what you like and why.

Now on to the gazpacho. For my last birthday, my husband gave me a copy of 1080 Recipes. It was proudly placed on the shelf next to Phaidon's other pubs: the Silver Spoon and Vefa's Kitchen. And I hadn't used it until now. This gazpacho is Spanish-style. It's thicker than the stuff you typically see here, but it's exactly what I loved as we travelled through Spain last fall. If you've got a bumper crop of tomatoes overtaking your yard or, like me, just buy too much at the farmer's market, this is a great use of ripe tomatoes. For a light lunch or as a first course, it's cool and refreshing on a hot summer day... and olive coated goat cheese balls add a little something special. (They're purely optional, but what a yummy option to have!)



Farmer's Market Gazpacho
adapted from 1080 Recipes by Simone and Ines Ortega

4-6 large ripe tomatoes, seeded, cored and coarsely chopped (I used 4 beefsteak, 6 vine-ripiened would be about the same amount)
1/4 onion, coarsely chopped
1 small cucumber, peeled and coarsely chopped
1/2 small green pepper, seeded and coarsely chopped
1/2 cup plain breadcrumbs
1/2 cup olive oil
1-2 Tbsp. sherry vinegar (use white wine vinegar if you don't have sherry)

For the goat cheese balls (optional)
2 oz. fresh goat cheese
1/4 cup pitted black olives (such as kalamata) finely chopped

Working in batches as needed, combine the tomatoes, onion, cucumber, green pepper, breadcrumbs, oil and vinegar in a blender and puree. Add salt to taste. (NOTE: taste it and add more vegetables if you prefer more flavor of one of the vegetables. You can also add some water if it's too thick, but this should be a thick gazpacho).

Transfer to a bowl and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

To make the goat cheese balls, using your hands, roll piece of goat cheese into small balls and then roll each in the chopped olives to coat.

To serve, garnish the soup with the goat cheese balls.

A good day for soup: Mom's Ham and Corn Chowder

I awoke this morning to a couple inches of fresh snow. It didn't last long but it looked beautiful clinging to the trees. It was perfect weather for a nice hardy, rustic soup. Mom's Ham and Corn Chowder would be perfect! This soup is really easy - chopped onions, potatoes, and ham combined with canned corn, stock and cream. It will warm you up for sure.

I used new potatoes so I left the skins on to make it even easier. I also cut the recipe in half. It still makes a good sized batch, plenty for two of us and a cup for Dad. (We trade food - he brought fresh fish from Massachusetts, I gave him soup!) Finally, I used 1 cup of half and half and one cup of 2% milk to cut the fat a bit. It still tastes fantasic!

Ham and Corn Chowder

1 large onion, chopped
1 stick of butter (8 Tbsp.)
5 large potatoes peeled and diced
1 thick ham slice, diced
2 15 oz. cans of creamed corn (preferably Green Giant)
2 12 oz. cans of corn, drained
4 c. chicken stock
4 c. half & half

In a large pot, melt butter. Add onion and sauté until clear. Add potatoes and ham a sauté 3 minutes. Add broth and simmer until potatoes are soft. Add creamed corn and drained corn. Add half & half and salt and pepper to taste.

This week's soup: Butternut Squash Bisque with a Thai kick!

On a recent trip to the market, I found a beautiful butternut squash for $1! Into my bag it went and I had just the recipe in mind. A couple years ago, Bon Appetit published a recipe for Curried Butternut Squash Bisque. I've since made it on numerous occasions and I pass the recipe out to friends frequently. Easy to make, it's even faster if you have a stick blender. The spice from the Thai curry paste gives it a little heat to add even more warmth on cool days. (Fear not, the sweetness of the squash balances the heat of the curry.) Even without the curry paste, this would make a great butternut squash bisque.

Curried Butternut Squash Bisque
adapted from Bon Appetit

• 1 4-pound butternut squash
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 Tbsp. butter
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 1/2 cups chopped onion
• 1 cup chopped carrots
• 1 apple, peeled and chopped
• 2-4 tsp. Thai curry paste, preferably red
• 3 14-oz. cans low sodium chicken broth, or 6 cups homemade
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/4 cup heavy cream (optional)
• 2 tsp. honey
• Fresh chopped cilantro, to garnish

Preheat oven to 375F. Cut the squash in half lengthwise and remove the seeds. Brush both sides with olive oil, then place, cut side down, on a rimmed baking sheet. Roast for 1 hour. Remove and allow to cool slightly. Once cool enough to handle, scoop out the squash and discard the skins. You should have about 4 cups.

Melt butter with 1 Tbsp. olive oil in a large pot. Add the onion, carrots and apple and cook about 5 minutes. Add the curry paste, stir, and cook another 2 minutes. Add the squash, bay leaves and stock. Stir and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for about an hour.

Remove the bay leaves. Puree the soup using a stick blender or in a blender or food processor. Return to the pot and stir in the cream, if using, and the honey. Season to taste with salt.

Serve warm, garnished with fresh chopped cilantro.

This week's soup: Baked Potato

Baked potato soup has got to be one of the most comforting soups around. Warm, thick and packed with home-cooked flavor, it's rich and satisfying on a chilly day. I've never made my own - until now! I found a recipe for a potato cheddar soup that's made in a slow-cooker and decided to give it a try (and a few twists).

Baked potato soup

4 large or 7 medium russet potatoes
4 cups chicken stock
3 cloves garlic
1/3 cup half and half or heavy cream
1/4 cup chives
6 oz. cheddar cheese, shredded
3-4 oz. smoked gouda, shredded
4-6 slices bacon, cooked to crisp

Peel the potatoes and slice them 1/4 inch thick. Layer them in a slow cooker and pour 2 cups of chicken stock over them. Cook on high for 2 hours or until potatoes are just cooked through.

When potatoes are cooked, transfer them and the cooking liquid to a blender. Add the garlic and puree to desired consistency. You can make it smooth or leave it a little chunky if you prefer. Pour the mixture back into the slow cooker and stir in the rest of the stock. Stir until combined, then add both cheeses and stir again until the cheese melts into the soup. Stir in the half and half or cream chives. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Heat on low for 30 minutes.

To serve, sprinkle with the crumbled bacon or just stir the bacon into the soup.

NOTE: when adding the last two cups of stock, add it a little at a time so you can control the consistency. For thicker soup, add less, for thinner, add more.

Back in the kitchen: Grilled asparagus soup

After a relaxing vacation, I was happy to settle back into my kitchen. As temperatures get cooler, I thought soup would make a great first course on Saturday night. Weber Grilling has a recipe for Grilled Asparagus Soup. It's been an off year for asparagus, but my local store had it on sale last week so I decided to try it out. Before I even started, I'd made the decision to change the recipe quite a bit. It calls for a hefty amount of tarragon and we just aren't big on tarragon so I added a bit of thyme, some Parmigiano-Reggiano, among other things... My version follows. Give it a shot, and leave a comment with your favorite soup ideas. I'll definitely be looking for some new ones this fall!

Grilled Asparagus Soup

adapted from Weber Grilling

• 1 pound asparagus
• 4 scallions
• 2 Tbsp. Olive oil
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 1 cup packed spinach leaves
• leaves from 2 sprigs fresh thyme
• pinch of smoked sea salt (use regular sea salt if you can't find smoked)
• pepper, to taste
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup fresh grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
• 2 slices Prosciutto (optional)

Rub the olive oil on the asparagus and scallions. Grill both 4-6 minutes - you want grill marks, but you want the veggies to still be firm. Remove to a plate and allow to cool to room temperature.

While it cools, place prosciutto slices on a wire rack on a baking sheet and bake at 400F for a couple minutes until it starts to turn darker pink. Remove from oven. It will crisp as it cools (I did this in my toaster oven to avoid ehating the whole oven.) Set aside.

Cut asparagus into 2 inch pieces. Reserve 4 asparagus tips. In a saucepan, combine the asparagus, scallions, spinach leaves and stock and bring to a boil. Add the sea salt and pepper to taste. Boil for about 4 minutes or until the spinach has wilted. Puree in a blender or with a stick blender.

Return the soup to the stove and stir in the heavy cream and cheese.

Serve warm. Crumble one slice crisped prosciutto over each and garnish with reserved asparagus tips. Sprinkle with additional cheese if desired.

Makes 2 servings and can easily be multiplied.

Last supper #2: Daniel Boulud

Daniel Boulud's last supper graced our table this weekend. His actual menu would have kept me in the kitchen for a week (and would have fed us for a week). So, I chose a few courses from his choices: we started with a soup - his recipe for Asparagus soup with sweet pepper coulis, then we had a min course of Rack of Lamb with two sauces and crispy salad - another of his recipes. We ended the night with a cheese course. After two weeks Jeff is hooked on Project Last Supper. We've had a couple of great dinners...
Some highlights from Daniel's Last Supper:

Asparagus soup with Sweet Pepper Coulis - Find his recipe on the website for Daniel, his NYC restaurant.

Marinated Lamb chops with two sauces - This recipe is also online - it's on Daniel's section on Starchefs.com. The sauces are a warm tomate ginger sauce and a cool yogurt mint sauce. Both were delicious on the lamb, which I left in a whole rack and grilled.

And last but not least a cheese course. I finally went to the Summit Cheese Shoppe in Summit, NJ. The couple that runs this adorable shop are as nice as can be and they know cheese! I went in and explained that we wanted to do a cheese course for two and that we like firmer cheeses. I wanted 3-4 kinds - and one had to be a goat. The owner let me taste two of the cheeses and of the third, he simply said "Trust me." I did!

He gave us a Rotin Perigord Chevre from France, aged and delicious goat cheese; a Zamorano Sheep's milk cheese from Spain, and a Montasio Extra from northern Italy. I served it with a Pain Rustique from LaBrea bakery and a ripe fig. The perfect ending to the perfect meal!

Last Supper score: That's 2 done and 38 more to go. Next up: either Laurent Tourondel or Jaime Oliver