Chilled Tomato Soup And Crabcakes Food

CHILLED TOMATO SOUP

Steps:

• Heat 1/4 cup olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium-low heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring, until softened, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook until softened, about 1 minute. Increase the heat to medium, add the tomatoes and 1/2 teaspoon salt, and cook, stirring occasionally, until juicy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the tomato juice, basil sprigs and 3 cups water. Bring to a simmer and cook until the tomatoes are very soft, 15 to 20 minutes.
• Add 3 cups bread cubes and return the soup to a simmer. Cook, mashing the bread with a wooden spoon, until broken down, 5 to 7 minutes. Discard the basil sprigs. Stir in the vinegar. Working in two batches, puree the soup in a blender until smooth, adding 2 tablespoons olive oil per batch. Refrigerate until cold, at least 2 hours or overnight.
• Before serving, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in a skillet over medium-low heat. Add the remaining 2 cups bread cubes; cook, tossing, until golden, 5 to 6 minutes. Season the soup with salt; top with the croutons and chopped basil.

GAZPACHO RECIPE

Steps:

• Place the bread slices in a bowl with 1/2 cup of water. Let the bread soak while you work on the tomatoes. Squeeze the bread to ring out any water
• Place the tomatoes in a large pot of boiling water for 40 seconds or so. With a slotted spoon, remove the tomatoes from the boiling water and let them cool for about a minute or so. When they are cool enough to handle, gently peel the skins off.
• In a large food processor or blender, place the tomatoes with the cucumbers, celery, bell peppers, green onions and garlic. Top with the soaked bread. Pour 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil and the sherry vinegar. Run the processor for a few seconds then add the salt, pepper, cumin, cayenne pepper (optional) and a pinch of sugar; blend.
• Test the gazpacho and if it's too thick, add a little water and blend again until you reach the desired texture.
• Transfer to a glass container or large canning jars. Cover tightly and chill in refrigerator.
• When ready to serve, give the gazpacho a quick stir then transfer to serving bowls or small glasses. Top with olive oil and a garnish of fresh mint, cilantro and chopped green onions, if you like.

CHILLED INDIAN-SPICED TOMATO SOUP WITH CRABMEAT

Steps:

• For spice mix:
• Toast all ingredients in heavy medium skillet over medium heat until spices darken slightly in color and start to pop, stirring occasionally, about 7 minutes. Cool in skillet. Transfer to spice mill and grind finely.
• For soup:
• Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add celery, onion, and carrots. Sauté until vegetables soften slightly, about 8 minutes. Add ginger and garlic and sauté 3 minutes. Add bell peppers and fennel. Stir 2 minutes to coat. Add tomatoes; cook until tomatoes soften and break down, stirring often, about 8 minutes. Add broth and bring soup to boil. Reduce heat to medium; simmer until all vegetables are tender, about 25 minutes. Add ground spice mix; return soup to boil. Remove from heat; cover and steep 20 minutes.
• Place coarse sieve over large bowl. Working with 2 cups at a time, strain soup into bowl, pressing liquid and most of solids through sieve. Season soup to taste with hot pepper sauce, salt, and pepper. Refrigerate soup until cold, at least 3 hours. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and keep refrigerated.)
• Ladle soup into 8 shallow bowls. Divide crabmeat among bowls. Garnish with radish slices and chives.

CREOLE CRABCAKES

Steps:

• Mix crabmeat, garlic, mayonnaise, herbs and seafood seasoning. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Using the #3 circle pastry cutter, pack with 2 tablespoons of the crab mixture. Form into cakes and freeze until ready to fry. To fry, place the flour in a shallow dish or bowl. Place the eggs in a separate bowl and the panko in another bowl. Dredge each crab cake in the flour, then the egg, then the bread crumbs, shaking off any excess. Fry quickly in olive oil. To assemble, place disk of mashed potatoes on top of crab cakes and heat together in a preheated 400 degree F oven until the top is crisp. Finish with a dollop of remoulade and a sprig of thyme.
• Cook potatoes until soft and drain. While potatoes are cooking, combine the cream and butter in a small saucepan and warm over medium heat until the butter melts. Remove the corn from the cob and roast or saute corn in oil until tender and slightly browned. Season with salt and pepper. Rice or smash the potatoes, add cream mixture, sauteed corn and chipotle puree, to taste. Shape into small disks.
• Puree all ingredients in a blender.
• Combine all ingredients in food processor or blender until smooth. Transfer to squeeze bottle.

CRABCAKES

Steps:

• In a bowl combine the mayonnaise, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, scallion, 1 teaspoon salt and egg. Add to crab and fold in enough breadcrumbs so crab cakes just hold together; season with Tabasco sauce. Refrigerate the mixture for 30 minutes so that it is easier to handle. Shape mixture into 8 small cakes. Heat oil and butter in a nonstick skillet. Dip cakes in flour on both sides and shake off excess. Cook gently, on low heat for about 5 minutes a side or until cooked through. Drain and serve over cole slaw.

CHILLED TOMATO SOUP

Steps:

• Whisk the green onion, tomato juice, sour cream, lemon zest and juice together. Season with salt and pepper and chill until dinner time. Chill cucumber and cantaloupe dice separately. Right before serving, combine the tomato juice mixture with the cucumber and cantaloupe, adjust the seasoning and serve with slices of fresh avocado.