Tag: #tomato

Do you like gauchos—I mean gazpacho?

On By Leslie Byars RegisterIn appetizers, Ask Leslie, Buy the Book, soups, The Parties, The Recipes8 Comments

CONFESSION: This is the first gazpacho recipe I’ve truly ever liked!

Cold soup is not my first choice when I see it on a menu at a restaurant, but I promise, this one is different. I’m not sure if it’s the saturated party pumpernickel bread, the saltiness of the olives and creamy avocados, the crunch of the celery, cucumber, and green pepper, or the three different vinegars, but this recipe is delicious. It’s like a fancy bloody Mary in a bowl, minus the vodka. (Hmmm…something to consider.)

My mother-in-law, Beverly Register, passed this recipe on to me from her friend Sarah Ellen Archie, from New Bern, North Carolina. I’m not sure where Sarah Ellen got the recipe, but it’s definitely worth sharing with anyone you know.

“The best recipes are ones that are worthy of crossing state lines.”

With the heat index at 100 degrees, I can’t think of a better week to post this tried-and-true summer delicacy.

Bev’s Gazpacho

Makes 3 ½ quarts

½ (16-ounce) loaf party pumpernickel bread (diced)

1/3 cup olive oil

¼ cup red wine vinegar

¼ cup tarragon vinegar

¼ cup apple cider vinegar

Dice 1 cup each:

Green onions

Green pepper

Cucumber

Celery

Cherry tomatoes

Green olives

64 ounces tomato juice, such as V8

Parsley, basil, and garlic to taste, chopped into small pieces, extra for garnish

Avocado (right before serving)

Olive oil

In a large (LARGE) bowl, combine all but the last two ingredients. Cover and chill for several hours or overnight. Add diced avocado and drizzle with olive oil right before serving. Garnish with fresh basil leaves.

Yields 3 1/2 quarts

Bev's Gazpacho
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Ingredients

  • ½ (16-ounce) loaf party pumpernickel bread (diced)
  • 1/3 cup olive oil
  • ¼ cup red wine vinegar
  • ¼ cup tarragon vinegar
  • ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
  • 1 cup diced green onions
  • 1 cup diced green pepper
  • 1 cup diced cucumber
  • 1 cup diced celery
  • 1 cup diced cherry tomatoes
  • 1 cup diced green olives
  • 64 ounces tomato juice, such as V8
  • Parsley, basil, and garlic to taste, chopped into small pieces, extra for garnish
  • Avocado (right before serving)
  • Olive oil

Instructions

  1. In a LARGE bowl, combine all but the last two ingredients.
  2. Cover and chill for several hours or overnight.
  3. Add diced avocado and drizzle with olive oil right before serving.
  4. Garnish with fresh basil leaves.
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https://dearpartydiary.com/do-you-like-gauchos-i-mean-gazpacho/

Learn from Leslie: loaf party pumpernickel is the 3-inch square, thinly sliced bread used for appetizers found in most groceries in the bread or deli area.

Learn from Leslie: I chop all the veggies the day before and have them ready to go.
It takes no time the next morning to add the remaining ingredients. Let it chill for several hours or overnight. I add the avocado right before serving.
Serve for a crowd as a starter or a light lunch. On a hot summer night, serve it as a cold supper.
And if you haven’t tried Topo Chico carbonated mineral water, you need to. Thanks to Carol de la Torre for sharing this refreshing, new beverage with me. For you Birmingham folks, it’s available at the Piggly Wiggly in Crestline. Topo Chico, $1.25 (12-ounce) bottle.
Also, this old-fashioned, adorable bottle would look pretty cute next to your Coronas at your next party.
Stay cool! And have a happy and safe Fourth of July!
I love your comments!

There’s No Place Like My Old Kentucky Home

On By Leslie Byars RegisterIn appetizers, soups, The Recipes1 Comment

I will never forget my second-grade spring break. My parents had the bright idea that we would take an educational tour of the state of Kentucky. We started at Lincoln’s Birthplace, hit a few horse farms, ate breakfast on the track at Keeneland, and ended up at My Old Kentucky Home. Somewhere along the way—one of our first night stops—we went to Harrodsburg, Kentucky, to the Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill.

We saw every inch of this authentic Quaker village, but the part I remember most was the disappointed look on my dad’s face when we got to our room in the inn. It wasn’t the twin beds with trundles underneath, the stark white walls, the uncarpeted floor—it was the tiny, black-and-white television sitting on a small table in a corner of the room. It was Masters week, and that was not what he was picturing for his viewing pleasure. The fairways, greens, azaleas, and sky were all fifty shades of gray.

As you can tell, this book has gotten a lot of use. This is one of Shaker Village’s many cookbooks.

The silver lining—the food was delicious. We left with all three of their cookbooks and used recipes from them often thereafter. One of my mom’s favorites is the Tomato-Celery Soup, which we called Shakertown Tomato Soup from that day on.

It’s a cinch to make and takes maybe 15 minutes if you are a slow chopper. This company-worthy recipe easily can be doubled or tripled, and it is also perfect any weeknight with a simple grilled cheese.

I try to keep these ingredients on hand at all times so I can make this without a trip to the store. (Even though this sock monkey sugar bowl lid has been broken, I could never part with this handmade treasure that Sallie made me years ago.)
None of your guests would ever guess this beautiful recipe started with a can of tomato soup. Plate and bowl from Anthropologie at anthropologie.com. Spoon from my dear friend, Virginia.

Tomato-Celery Soup

Serves 4 as a starter

2 tablespoons butter

1 cup chopped onion

½ cup chopped celery

1 (10½-ounce) can of tomato soup

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon chopped parsley, plus extra for garnish

1 teaspoon sugar

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon pepper

Garnish with heavy whipping cream and chopped parsley

Sauté onion and celery in butter; do not brown. Add tomato soup, one can of water, lemon juice, parsley, sugar, salt, and pepper. Simmer for five minutes. Celery will remain crisp.

Top with cream and chopped parsley.

Use a squeeze bottle to dollop whipping cream for perfect circles.
Use a dry toothpick to pull through center of dollop to make a dreamy heart.

Leslie Likes: Campbell’s Tomato Soup

Yields 4 Servings

Tomato-Celery Soup
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Ingredients

  • tablespoons butter
  • 1 cup chopped onion
  • ½ cup chopped celery
  • 1 (10½-ounce) can of tomato soup
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon chopped parsley, plus extra for garnish
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon pepper
  • Garnish with heavy whipping cream and chopped parsley

Instructions

  1. Sauté onion and celery in butter; do not brown.
  2. Add tomato soup, one can of water, lemon juice, parsley, sugar, salt, and pepper.
  3. Simmer for five minutes. Celery will remain crisp.
  4. Top with cream and chopped parsley.
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https://dearpartydiary.com/my-old-kentucky-home/

Thanksgiving Thoughts

With Thanksgiving approaching I can’t help but think about all of the things I am really thankful for—excluding the given, of course, health and family.

10 Things I Can’t Live Without

    1. My morning cup of coffee
    1. Le Creuset cookware
    1. Acuvue Oasis contact lenses
    1. Pasta
    1. Warmth of the sunshine
    1. Listerine Breath Strips
    1. Rainbow platform flip-flops
  1. A wood-burning fireplace
  2. Sterling silver
  3. Clean sheet night

I would love to hear from you. Don’t be shy about making comments or asking questions. I love getting mail! Leslie