Friday, July 31, 2009

What do you eat on a HOT Summer Night

What do you eat for dinner on a HOT Summer night ... one where it's been in the high 90's and low 100's for over a week with no air conditioning? With a house that cools down to 84 during the night with all the windows open and fans going ? This is what my daughter decided we needed to have for dinner. We actually went to the grocery store for the air conditioning. Walked around .. took our time.

Supposed to be cooler tomorrow and next week only in the high 80's. I never thought I'd think that the high 80's was a cooling trend. Ever ...

Gazpacho

Recipe courtesy Alton Brown, 2007

Prep Time: 45 min
Inactive Prep Time: 2 hr 0 min
Cook Time: hr min
Level: Easy
Serves: 4 servings

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds vine-ripened tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped
Tomato juice
1 cup cucumber, peeled, seeded and chopped
1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
1/2 cup chopped red onion
1 small jalapeno, seeded and minced
1 medium garlic clove, minced
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 lime, juiced
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon toasted, ground cumin
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons fresh basil leaves, chiffonade

Directions

Fill a 6-quart pot halfway full of water, set over high heat and bring to a boil.
Make an X with a paring knife on the bottom of the tomatoes. Drop the tomatoes into the boiling water for 15 seconds, remove and transfer to an ice bath and allow to cool until able to handle, approximately 1 minute. Remove and pat dry. Peel, core and seed the tomatoes. When seeding the tomatoes, place the seeds and pulp into a fine mesh strainer set over a bowl in order to catch the juice. Press as much of the juice through as possible and then add enough bottled tomato juice to bring the total to 1 cup.


Place the tomatoes and juice into a large mixing bowl. Add the cucumber, bell pepper, red onion, jalapeno, garlic clove, olive oil, lime juice, balsamic vinegar, Worcestershire, cumin, salt and pepper and stir to combine. Transfer 1 1/2 cups of the mixture to a blender and puree for 15 to 20 seconds on high speed. Return the pureed mixture to the bowl and stir to combine. Cover and chill for 2 hours and up to overnight. Serve with chiffonade of basil.

16 comments:

Sherri said...

Oh I hope it cools down for you sometime soon! The Gazpacho sounded great! I have ever had a tomato with mayo sandwich on really hot nights.

Roses and Lilacs said...

I'm so sorry for you, enduring that heat day after day. I can take the cold but the heat just drains me. Sounds like a nice dinner.
Marnie

Tuck said...

Usually when it's really hot I'll eat a salad or fruit. It's terrible when it's so hot that you just don't feel like eating.

Anonymous said...

Our mom was thinking Gazpacho, before she got to the bottom of your post! MOL!!! Salads, sandwiches, etc... Maybe even go on a sunset picnic. It won't be as hot and you can get some frsh air! Hope it cools down for you!

Have a great weekend!

Darlene said...

I can't even imagine having no air conditioning when it is that hot!!! I am with Tuck, when I get really hot I just want something cold.

JC said...

It was a really good dinner .. my d made a lot of it so I might use it to put on chips ... that would mean a trip to the ac grocery store ... good idea

It's cooler in the house right now though. So nice ...

Martha said...

Sounds wonderful!
We've had similar weather here in Florida but I don't think I could stand it without air conditioning! Yikes!

Reese =^..^= said...

Yum! Sounds great. Hope it cools down very soon.

ellen abbott said...

Ha! We have to have the AC on for it to get 84 in the house.

Mishkat said...

Yikes! I've gone to the grocery store for the A/C before, although it rarely gets that hot here. Hope it cools down ASAP!

Kathy B! said...

Heat can just be relentless!

This gazpacho sounds wonderful.

Sultan said...

This sounds quite good. Thanks for posting the recipe.

JC said...

I added a link ... if you want to go to the recipe ... just click Gazpacho

gigi said...

I just can't get enough of fresh tomatoes :)

Dog Trot Farm said...

The recipe sounds delicious! We have not experienced much heat this summer here in Southern Maine. There have been summers with days on end of 100 degree weather. I hope you catch a cool breeze soon!

JC said...

Today is much cooler ... we got the inside to cool down and the outside is maybe 85 ... much better than it was ... but it's supposed to be warm this weekend ...

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