Cucumber Buttermilk Gazpacho Food

CUCUMBER-BUTTERMILK GAZPACHO

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread whole almonds in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet, and spread sliced almonds in a single layer on another rimmed baking sheet. Toast in oven until brown and fragrant, 7 to 10 minutes (sliced ones will brown more quickly). Let cool.
• Place bread in a bowl, and cover with cold water. Let stand 10 minutes. Squeeze out liquid, and discard.
• Puree half of each of the whole almonds, bread, peeled cucumbers, and garlic in a blender. Add half of each of the oil and lemon juice, and puree. Transfer to a large bowl. Repeat.
• Stir in buttermilk, salt, and pepper. Add water; if a thinner consistency is desired, add more water. Pass through a medium sieve. Refrigerate at least 1 hour (or overnight). If desired, thin with water before serving. Serve cold. Drizzle with oil, and serve with diced cucumber, tomato, scallions, parsley, and sliced almonds on the side.

CUCUMBER-BUTTERMILK GAZPACHO

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F Spread whole almonds on a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet, and spread sliced almonds in a single layer on another rimmed baking sheet. Toast in oven until brown and fragrant, 7-10 minutes (sliced ones will brown more quickly). Let cool.
• Place bread in a bowl, and cover with cold water. Let stand 10 minutes. Squeeze out liquid and discard. Purée half of each of the whole almonds, bread, peeled cucumbers, and garlic in blender. Add half of each of the oil and lemon juice and purée. Transfer to a large bowl, and repeat.
• Stir in buttermilk, salt and pepper. Add water; if a thinner consistency is desired, add more water. Pass through a medium sieve. Refrigerate at least 1 hour, or overnight. If desired, thin with water before serving. Serve cold. Drizzle with oil, and serve diced cucumbers, tomato, scallions, parsley and sliced almonds on the side.

GAZPACHO

Steps:

• For the soup:
• Soak the bread, in a medium bowl of water to soften, about 15 to 20 minutes. Squeeze out the excess water and place in a large bowl. Coarsely chop the tomatoes, 2/3 of the cucumber, 1/2 the onion, and 1/2 the pepper and add to the bread. Add the garlic, season with salt, and drizzle with olive oil. Mix to combine and let sit for about 20 to 30 minutes to allow the flavors to marry and to let the salt pull some moisture out of the tomatoes.
• Meanwhile, for the garnish, dice the remaining cucumber, onion and green pepper into perfect 1/4-inch dice and reserve.
• Working in batches, puree the tomato/bread mixture in a blender with the vinegar. Blend in tomato juice to loosen the mixture, if needed. Remove soup to a large bowl and stir in about 1/2 cup of high quality olive oil. Taste for salt and add more, if needed.
• Chill. Serve cold garnished with the diced cucumber, pepper and onion. Drizzle with a little more olive oil, if desired.
• How refreshing!

CUCUMBER GAZPACHO WITH WATERMELON AND MINT

Steps:

• Reserve 2 tablespoons of the mint. Place the remaining mint in a large bowl along with the cucumbers, 2 cups watermelon, yogurt, onion, cilantro, lemon juice, ginger, cayenne pepper and 2 teaspoon salt. In small batches, puree in a food processor until smooth. Place in a pitcher or large bowl and refrigerate for 2 hours.
• Taste the gazpacho before serving and season with additional salt if needed. Divide the soup among 6 chilled bowls and top with the feta, toasted pepitas, remaining watermelon, reserved mint and a drizzle of chili infused oil.

CUCUMBER GAZPACHO WITH MINT PASTE

Steps:

• Scrape cucumber seeds into a fine mesh sieve and press out as much liquid as possible. Reserve liquid and roughly chop cucumbers.
• Combine cucumbers and cucumber liquid in the bowl of a food processor; process until smooth.
• Whisk cucumber puree and sour cream together in a bowl. Season with sugar and cayenne. Cover and refrigerate.
• Mash together mint, olive oil, and hazelnuts in a mortar and pestle until a paste forms. Season with salt and lemon juice.
• Divide gazpacho between individual bowls and place a spoonful of mint paste on top of each.

CHEF JOHN'S WHITE GAZPACHO

Steps:

• Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Cook and stir leeks until soft, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove to a plate and allow to cool.
• Place cucumbers in a blender with grapes, almonds, 1 tablespoon olive oil, salt, creme fraiche, bread cubes, vinegar, cooled leeks, and water. Puree until smooth, about 1 minute. Strain through a fine mesh sieve. Cover and chill for 1 to 2 hours.
• Taste and season with salt and cayenne pepper. If needed, add some more vinegar. Serve garnished with dill oil (see note), thinly sliced grapes, slivered almonds, and fresh dill.

CREAMY CUCUMBER GAZPACHO

Steps:

• Seed cucumbers and put seeds in a blender. Cut cucumbers into 1/4-inch dice and combine with bell peppers, chiles, garlic, and lime juice in a large metal bowl.
• Transfer half of mixture to blender with seeds and purée until smooth. Return purée to bowl and stir in remaining ingredients.
• Quick-chill soup in bowl set in a larger bowl of ice and cold water, stirring frequently, until cold, about 20 minutes.

TOMATO CUCUMBER GAZPACHO

Steps:

• Working in 2 batches, puree chopped tomatoes, vegetable juice, 1 1/4 cups chopped cucumber, 1/2 cup chopped red onion, extra-virgin olive oil, 2 tablespoons chopped basil, red wine vinegar, mayonnaise, garlic, and anchovy paste in blender until smooth. Transfer to bowl. Season gazpacho to taste with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours and up to 1 day.
• Stir remaining 1 cup chopped cucumber and 1/2 cup chopped red onion into gazpacho. Refrigerate 2 hours.
• Divide gazpacho evenly among bowls. Garnish with chopped basil and Parmesan croutons, if desired.

WHITE CUCUMBER GAZPACHO

Steps:

• Clean and peel cucumbers, chopping them into chunks. If desired, English cucumbers can be substituted for common cucumbers.
• Chop garlic and sweet onion into pieces. Place garlic, onions, cucumbers, and 1/2 cup of chicken stock into a food processor or blender. Blend until somewhat smooth in texture with some chunks of cucumber remaining or blend to consistency desired. Place blended ingredients in a large bowl.
• Add yogurt, remaining chicken stock, lemon juice, salt, and pepper to combined ingredients in bowl and whisk all contents together until well blended. Season to taste. Add more chicken broth if necessary to achieve desired consistency.
• Pour soup into a tightly covered container and place in refrigerator to chill for several hours or overnight.
• Serve cold. You may choose to garnish with fresh herbs such as parsley, cilantro or basil. Sprinkle freshly grated Parmesan cheese or any other hard cheese desired, such as sharp cheddar.