It's hot outside, tomatoes are at their best, and I need to drop some weight. It's also Weekend Herb Blogging created by Kaylin, so I knew this recipe for Golden Gazpacho was a good choice to make. I enjoy this soup very much. It's the kind of dish where each spoonful tastes better and better. By the time I was through eating my serving, I was totally in love with it. It not only looks different from the traditional red gazpacho, it has a Vietnamese twist due to the addition of lemongrass, which tastes wonderful along with the cucumbers, tomatoes and peppers. The recipes uses yellow tomatoes, but you can use the traditional red tomatoes too. I think orange tomatoes would give the soup a deeper and more pleasing shade of yellow. The soup is low in calories, but you don't feel like you're eating diet food. My only reservation is that, once again, the number of servings is grossly overstated. It says it serves 6 to 8. On what planet? The soup is so wonderful, I think that four people would be begging for more, and since it's low in calories, why not eat your fill? Please go over to Kaylin's site to see all the other Herb Bloggers. There's always something new and exciting there.
Golden Gazpacho (Mustard's Grill Napa Valley Cookbook)
2 1/2 lbs. yellow tomatoes, peeled and cut up
1 large cucumber, peeled, seeded, and diced.
1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
3 or 4 scallions, thinly sliced
1 lemongrass stalk, bottom 2 inches only, tough outer layer removed, and finely diced
2 Tbsp rice wine vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
1 jalapeno chile, seeded and minced
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp freshly ground pepper
Tabasco sauce to taste
Garnishes: Croutons, herbs, yogurt. I used several different varieties of my basil.
Puree the tomatoes in a blender or food processor and strain through a medium fine sieve placed over a medium sized bowl. Stir in all the remaining ingredients, cover and refrigerate until cold. Serve in cold serving bowls garnished with croutons or herbs, such as cilantro, basil, mint or tarragon.
Serves 2 to 4 people
Oh, this sounds deliciously cool. Tomatoes aren't here in abundance yet, but maybe I could find enough. I'm wild for lemongrass so that really does it for me also. And it's supposed to be ungodly hot this weekend...
Posted by: Lisa | June 30, 2006 at 02:07 PM
The lemongrass adds a wonderful tang to the soup. My husband ate the last of it today and he loves it. AND.....our AC died a couple hours ago! If they can't fix it today, I may be fixing cold soup every day.
Posted by: sher | June 30, 2006 at 03:25 PM
Oh, I just sent you an e-mail saying I hoped the AC would last the weekend!! Sorry to hear it. It's dreadfully hot here too, but my AC is great. Hope on a plane and come up. (Oh, you just got back in town didn't you?)
Oh well, I guess you will have to eat cold soup to stay cool and this sounds fantastic. I love the idea of lemongrass. I have lemon verbena, which I hear you can sub for it.
Posted by: kalyn | June 30, 2006 at 09:05 PM
What if one cannot find yellow tomatoes? Will a certain kind of red tomato work, or does it have to be yellow? I'm unsure of the flavor of yellow tomatoes vs. other kinds. Just wanna make sure before I embark on this deliciousness!
Posted by: Shannon | July 01, 2006 at 10:14 AM
Looks so lovely. I will be trying this. A few more months before 'spach season here in New York--I am looking forward. It's this weirdly poignant feeling, y'know? I want the height of the summer to come, but I also want it not to come too soon, becuase then it's over so soon.
Posted by: eqj (the chocolate lady) | July 01, 2006 at 08:50 PM
This sounds so delicious. Would it be as good hot?
I'm so sorry you're sweltering in the heat without an air conditioner, but up here in the fog, cold soup sounds, well, cold!
Posted by: Christine | July 01, 2006 at 08:52 PM
look very refreshing! Is it Thai basil in your bowl? I love this herb!
btw, I did your balsamic vinegar glazed red onion again, to go with grilled meat, splendid! All my friends loved it!
Posted by: gattina | July 02, 2006 at 06:33 AM
I'm always on the lookout for meals which are not fattening yet are still satisfying. I'm also not much of a fan of traditional gazpacho but this looks much more interesting and inviting. Yum!
Posted by: Julie | July 02, 2006 at 10:10 AM
I would love to have a bowl of that right this minute. It looks so refreshing. I've just been outside and it's 96 degrees. Ick!
Posted by: Glenna | July 02, 2006 at 12:53 PM
Kalyn,
Well, the AC did work so far. But, it's in the hands of fate as to how long it will last. Hopefully, it will keep on working this week until a crucial part is delivered to fix it.
Shannon,
You can use any old color tomato that your sweet little heart desires! :) It would be just as good (maybe better) if you used red tomatoes. The yellow give it a different look, but I think any tomato works.
eqj (the chocolate lady)
Oh yes, I understand that feeling all too well. I feel that about spring and summer. Out here spring goes by far too quickly. And summer is my time for tomatoes and basil--so I hate to see it end.
Christine,
I've never had it hot, but you could try it and see. What an interesting experiment! I think I would heat up the broth and add the veggies just before serving.
Gattina,
Yes, that was Thai basil you saw there. So far, I'm growing 4 types of basil and I think the Thai basil is the most resiliant in the heat. And it looks so pretty.
Julie,
I really liked this, in part because of the lemongrass. And it was a little more delicate than standard gazpacho.
Glenna,
Yes, a cold, tart soup like this tastes so good on a hot day.
Posted by: sher | July 03, 2006 at 12:06 AM
Looks very refreshing.I also used lemon grass flavour for tea. Your recipe sounds interesting.
Posted by: Ramya | July 03, 2006 at 10:53 AM
Sher,
look forward to more of your splendid basil dishes :)... 4 types, wow! Love to hear more about them when you have time.
I have one purple (stem) Thai basil in my yard, just learnt how to grow it from some Singaporean pals on internet. Yes, they love hot sun.
Posted by: gattina | July 04, 2006 at 03:49 PM
We grow Lemongrass at home here in Australia. It spreads into a ralely large clump & ours is 8 or 9feet tall now. I'm surprised that you say the lemongrass you smelt had little scent. Ours is quite pungent, but perhaps because we break a little piece off to release the fragrance. I have not used this in soapmaking yet as I don't think it is a fragrance that appeals to many even though it is very lemony in its own way. I use mainly for asian cooking. If you do a recipe with it, I would be very interested though.
Posted by: Rahila | July 03, 2012 at 09:55 AM