It's easy to pick out the true tomato lovers among us at this time of year. In spite of the late-summer heat, they look bright and happy. They know that it's the moment sun-ripened tomatoes grown in the garden or on the farm are reaching their peak.
Head into any farmers' market right now and the chances are very good you'll see beautiful in-season tomatoes. Stalls everywhere will be piled high with all kinds: big, meaty, irregularly-shaped beefsteak tomatoes; small Italian-style Roma or plum tomatoes; little cherry tomatoes and their bite-sized, pear-shaped cousins, along with grape tomatoes; and all kinds of old-fashioned heirloom varieties in a medley of colors, sizes, and shapes, with varied flavors and textures to match.
Tomato lovers don't seem to mind eating them at every meal, whether they're in omelet fillings; in salads with creamy fresh mozzarella; sauteed for quick pasta sauces; stewed with meat, poultry, seafood, or other vegetables; or oven-baked until chewy, then preserved in olive oil in the refrigerator. I've even known cooks to make savory-sweet tomato sorbets during the height of the season.
Apart from all those uses, one of my favorite ways to enjoy sun-ripened summer tomatoes is in the traditional Spanish cold soup gazpacho. It's perfect to prepare on a hot summer day because there's no actual cooking involved. I've shared some of my favorite gazpacho recipes with you in the past, but not in a long while, so I'm happy to offer another one here to help you make the most of the season's bounty.
There are several reasons why my Gazpacho with Shrimp and Avocado is a great recipe. It gets excellent flavor from all the summer produce you can buy easily in farmers' markets and supermarkets alike. You can make it quickly in advance, keeping it chilled in the refrigerator for serving time.
Best of all, you can serve it in many different ways. If you're having a barbecue, thread fresh shrimp on skewers and grill them quickly to serve on top of the soup while your main course cooks. Or buy big or small shrimp precooked from the market, ready to serve on top of the soup. If you prefer, substitute cooked lump crabmeat or lobster for the shrimp. Or simply serve the soup without seafood, maybe floating a crisp piece of garlic toast smeared with creamy goat cheese on top.
Whatever you do, start with tomatoes that have good color and are blemish-free, feel solid and firm but not hard, and are heavy for their size. Store them at room temperature, never in the refrigerator, which will mute their flavor.
I hope this soup will help you continue to enjoy the great taste of tomatoes throughout the season.
GAZPACHO WITH SHRIMP
Serves 6 to 8
2-1/2 pounds sun-ripened tomatoes, cored and coarsely chopped
1-1/4 pounds organic English cucumbers (2 medium), peeled, halved lengthwise, seeded, and coarsely chopped
2 large organic celery stalks, coarsely chopped
1 medium red, yellow, or green organic bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, deveined, and coarsely chopped
1-1/2 cups canned tomato juice or low-sodium vegetable juice cocktail (such as V-8)
1/2 cup organic vegetable broth or water
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup sherry vinegar
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
1 to 2 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
2 to 3 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 pound cooked shelled shrimp
In a large, nonreactive bowl, stir together the tomatoes, 1-1/2 of the cucumbers, celery, bell pepper, tomato juice, broth, olive oil, vinegar, parsley, 1 tablespoon sugar, tomato paste, paprika, cayenne, 2 teaspoons salt, and black pepper. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for as little as 2 hours or as long as overnight.
In batches, transfer the chilled mixture to a food processor fitted with the stainless-steel blade. Pulse until the soup is coarsely pureed, transferring the batches, as ready, to another nonreactive bowl. Stir to blend the batches. Taste and add salt and pepper to taste and a little more sugar, if necessary, to highlight the sweetness of the tomatoes. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until well chilled, several hours more.
When ready to serve, cut the remaining cucumber half into thin slices.
To serve, ladle the soup into chilled bowls. Arrange the cucumbers slices on top of each serving and garnish with shrimp. Serve immediately
By Wolfgang Puck, Tribune Media Services
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