Remember when this blog used to have music, food, old movies? Yeah… I do too.
Let’s throw it back and go into the kitchen.
I just ate something so delicious, but yet maddeningly obvious: Strawberry Gazpacho.
Gazpacho is a cold, puréed summer vegetable soup, with tomato as the base. In its normal preparation, think super-classy taco sauce, liquefied, and served cold. Meh. Okay. Not terrible but not great. You know, SPANISH.
Alright. Here’s how you do Gazpacho right. Cut 1/3rd of the tomato as STRAWBERRY.
If your strawberries are terrible and white throughout, either wait, OR macerate the sliced strawberries in a little bit of sugar – not to the point of syrup like for cheesecake topping – just a little bit to bring out the flavor. You would then correct the Gazpacho with salt.
I see no reason why the strawberry Gazpacho couldn’t be made in bulk and frozen. I think this would be absolutely spectacular in Indian Summer or during Lent. Maybe with a light Brie grilled cheese sammiches….
If you’re all fancy and “rich”, raw Sushi-grade white fish (like sea bass) goes well over the top as a protein. I would NOT do smoked salmon. It would overpower the strawberry. This is a perfect hot summer luncheon/picnic/beach situation. Light, light, light. And served cold.
Wine pairing? You know what I’m going to say. Fizzy white. Prosecco-Franciacorta-Champagne. That category. For non-fizzy whites, Pinot Grigio, or… a nice French Rosé.
Feel free to do California white Zinfandel, as long as you’re okay with having a hellacious headache. Sulfites. Evil substances. Blech. 😒
Believe me, this was ALL about the strawberries. The croutons and even the fish were fillers. Just being me the soup. And a silly straw.