My God, it’s hot! Nineties (Fahrenheit, mid-30s Celcius) for the past few days and the next few. Fortunately, my boyfriend and I love cucumbers and tomatoes, but we’re getting a bit tired of cucumber-and-tomato salad, cucumber salad, tabouleh and gaspacho. Grilling isn’t an option, I’m afraid – we live in a small apartment and don’t have any place to keep it when we’re not using it. So, if you would, share with me some recipes that require little or no cooking.
I’ll start with our favorite gaspacho recipe:
2-3 ripe tomatoes, cored
1 cucumber, peeled
1/4 of a Vadalia onion
1 red pepper, cored and seeded
1 large handful parsley
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp. balsamic or red wine vinegar
2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
Cut the tomatoes, cucumber, red pepper and onion into large chunks. Put everything into a blender and blend the hell out of it. Add more vinegar, salt and pepper to taste. For a thicker, heartier soup you can add chunks of bread with the crusts cut off. Best chilled at least 1/2 hour before serving. Stir or blend at low speed before serving.