Yellow Tomato & Gin Gazpacho

Yellow tomatoes are my favourite. Well, yellow AND orange. They are so sweet that it almost feels like you are eating a fruit instead of a vegetable, and I guess, technically you are since a tomato really is a fruit. 

Yellow and orange tomatoes are also less acidic than their red cousins, so they do generally need a splash of citrus to balance out their flavour and emphasize their delicate nature. Lime or lemon juice does the trick here.

Yellow Tomato & Gin Gazpacho

8 yellow tomatoes, quartered and seeded (about 3 lbs.)
1 medium yellow pepper, cored, seeded and chopped
1 English cucumber, peeled and chopped
1 jalapeño pepper, cored, seeded and chopped
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1/2 cup gin (Tanqueray if you have it)
1/4 cup Panko breadcrumbs
1/2 red onion, peeled and sliced
1 clove garlic, peeled and sliced
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
1/4 cup good quality olive oil
1/2 tablespoon salt
1/2 teaspoon white pepper

Directions:

Roughly chop the cucumber, bell pepper, tomatoes and red onion into 1-inch cubes. Put each vegetable into a food processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse until it is coarsely chopped. I like my smoothish but you can even keep a bit of each vegetable aside, finely chopped, to add more texture if needed.

After each vegetable is processed, combine them in a large bowl and add the chopped cilantro, gin, garlic, vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper. Stir in the Panko.  Mix well and chill before serving. The longer gazpacho sits, the more the flavors develop.

This is beautiful as is, or you could garnish with some chopped green cherry tomatoes and some Basil Oil.  I have goat cheese in another course, otherwise a little snowy-white chevre might be nice also.  Or a dollop of pesto...

Thanks Glen for the beautiful photos.  You make me look good!

Basic Tomato Sauce

One of the most serviceable dishes anyone can learn to make is a basic tomato sauce.  Going back in time a bit, it is one of the five French mother sauces and serves as the basis for many, many other sauces.

Basic Tomato Sauce

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 large onion, finely diced
3 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
6-8 basil leaves, roughly chopped
1/2 medium carrot, finely grated
2 jars Passata (San Marzano tomatoes are preferred as they are the best)

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

In a large, heavy saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic, and cook until soft and light golden brown, about 8 to 10 minutes. Add the carrot, and cook 5 minutes more, until the carrot is quite soft. Add the tomatoes and juice and bring to a boil, stirring often. Lower the heat and simmer for 30 minutes until as thick as hot cereal. Season with salt and serve.

This sauce holds 1 week in the refrigerator or up to 6 months in the freezer.