Easy Cucumber Gazpacho

There were cucumbers again in my CSA box this week. At first, my heart sank. Cucumbers again? There are only so many Greek salads one can eat in a summer, after all. And who knows what else to do with a billion cucumbers. Cucumber sandwiches for a small army? Vegetable carving? Gazpacho?

Gazpacho.

This recipe was made by breeding this one with this one. The result is rather gorgeous: The avocado provides a subtle creaminess that elevates the whole thing from normal to dreamy.

Make it. It's insanely easy and insanely delicious, and how often do those two things go hand in hand?

Ingredients
3-4 scallions, white and light green parts, cut into pieces
1 small clove garlic, pressed
2 cucumbers, peeled and cut into a few pieces
(if you have oddly sized CSA box cucumbers, just estimate roughly about how many you'd need to make up an average-sized, supermarket cucumber)
5-6 tbsp coarsely chopped fresh basil
1 red gypsy pepper or 1/2 red bell pepper, cut into a few pieces
1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Pinch cayenne if you'd like a bit of spice
Chives (optional) for garnish

Blend all the ingredients except the chives in a food processor until smooth. Adjust basil, salt, and pepper to taste (you want to be able to taste the basil without it being overpowering. If you can taste the basil but the soup still tastes a little bland, you can turn up the volume with a bit more salt).

Serve immediately or chill until you're ready for it. Just before serving, garnish with snipped chives and a drizzle of high quality olive oil.

Serves 2-4, depending on whether you're going for bowls or smaller cups.

Halibut with French Herbs

Tarragon, it turns out, is a game changer. Apparently you can chop it up with some parsley and chives and use it to make light-yet-buttery, simple-yet-flavorful, swooningly delicious french fare. Who knew? (Probably the French. But I didn't. You would think, in a fair world, that some people would get life-altering croissants and others would get tarragon, but no, the French got both. Until now. Or maybe it was years ago, when non-French people noticed tarragon but didn't tell me. Regardless, if you need me, I'll be over here, gazing adoringly at my new leafy green obsession.)

Ingredients

½ - ¾ lbs wild halibut (enough for two)

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Stone ground whole wheat flour

2 tbsp Meyer lemon juice

1 tsp olive oil

1 tbsp white wine

1 ½ tbsp butter

1 tbsp capers, rinsed and drained

1 tbsp coarsely chopped fresh tarragon

2 tbsp chopped chives

2 tbsp chopped flat leaf parsley

(Goes well over black Forbidden rice—sauté a little chopped shallot until soft, then add the rice and water and cook according to package directions.)

Sprinkle the halibut on both sides with kosher salt and a little freshly ground black pepper, then lightly flour on both sides. Combine the lemon juice, olive oil, and white wine in a small dish.

Heat a nonstick or ceramic pan over medium heat. Drizzle lightly with olive oil, then add the fish to the pan and fry for a few minutes on each side, until just before the inside is cooked through (I always cut into the middle after it's lightly browned on both sides to get a sense of how much longer it has to cook...nobody will ever know if you serve it with the cut face down or with sauce over the top.) 

When the fish is almost but not quite cooked through, serve immediately over rice (it will keep cooking on the plate from the heat of the rice).

Immediately after serving the fish, replace the pan over medium-low heat. Add the butter, let it melt, then add the lemon-wine mixture. Wait 10 seconds for the alcohol to steam off, then add the capers and a pinch of salt, and turn off the heat. Add the herbs, stir a couple times, then spoon over the fish.

Serve immediately.

Serves 2. Pairs very well with sautéed leeks and baby kale and a French white.

Roasted Butternut Squash Risotto with Leeks, Smoked Bacon, and Sage

After experiencing a deeply inspired pumpkin pizza at Tuli Bistro a few weeks ago, we vowed to recreate it ourselves as a grilled flatbread. Which we haven't done yet, mostly because it's cold and dark and Novembery in the evenings outside in our grilling area, and warm and cozy and light inside in our non-grilling area, which creates a distinct bias toward non-grilling activities. Maybe next summer. In the meantime, we decided to reincarnate the pizza (or at least, its revelationary triumvirate of winter squash, cured pork, and goat cheese) in risotto form.

I don't care if you think bacon and goat cheese couldn't possibly coexist peaceably in the same dish. Neither did we. Make this anyway. Your taste buds will eventually emerge from their deliciousness-induced coma long enough to thank you.

Ingredients
One smallish butternut squash (about 2 lbs), halved lengthwise and seeds scooped out
Olive oil
4 cups veggie and/or chicken broth
1 + 1/2 strips applewood smoked bacon, divided, sliced crosswise (or sub pancetta)
1 large or two smaller leeks, white and light green parts, chopped
1 clove garlic, pressed
1 cup Arborio rice
White wine
8-10 leaves fresh sage, thinly sliced crosswise
2 handfuls arugula
Salt and freshly ground white pepper to taste
1-1.5 oz good-quality goat cheese
Garlic chives, for garnish (or sub regular chives)

Preheat the oven to 425°F. Cut each squash half crosswise into half-inch strips. Arrange in a single layer without crowding on a large, nonstick or foil-lined baking sheet lightly brushed with olive oil. Roast in the oven for 25-40 minutes or until lightly golden on both sides, turning the slices about halfway through. When the squash are tender, remove from oven and let cool. Peel the slices and cut into bite-sized rectangles.

Heat the broth in an uncovered pot over medium heat. When it simmers, turn the heat down slightly and let simmer, uncovered, as you make the risotto so that it reduces slightly.

Meanwhile, heat a large pot or dutch oven over medium heat. Add the half strip's worth of bacon and cook, stirring from time to time, until it starts to turn golden. Turn the heat down just a bit, add the leeks, and continue to saute until they soften. Stir in the garlic and saute for another 20-30 seconds, then add the rice and stir to coat evenly with the bacon-leek-garlic mixture.

Saute the rice for about a minute, then pour in a ladleful of white wine. Let cook, stirring occasionally, until the liquid is absorbed, then add a ladleful of broth. Continue to add broth by the ladleful, stirring and allowing the liquid to absorb before adding more.

Meanwhile, heat a frying pan over medium heat. Add the bacon and fry until golden, then drain off the excess fat and add just a light drizzle of olive oil in its place. Turn off the heat, throw in the sage, and stir a couple times to combine.

When you have just one or two ladlefuls of broth left and the risotto is just tender, fold in the arugula and pour a ladleful of broth over the top to help it start to wilt. Continue to cook, stirring, for another minute or two until the arugula is just wilted. Add in the squash and allow to heat through, then gently stir in the bacon-sage mixture. If the risotto seems dry, add a little more broth. Turn off the heat, and add salt and white pepper to taste.

Serve on preheated soup plates, with goat cheese crumbled over the top. Garnish with snipped garlic chives.

Serves 2, and pairs well with Pinot Noir like Talbott's 2009 Kali-Hart from Monterey County, available at our co-op.

Tomato Risotto with Spinach and Saffron

It's autumn. The breeze has turned crisp, the squirrels have begun the careful process of remodeling our lawn into an artful (from their perspective) and not-so-artful (from our perspective) treasure trove of random holes and buried nuts, and our fall quarter officially starts today. It is time, one might conclude, to transition from summertime tomatoes and cool salads to roasted root vegetables and warm autumnal soups.

Except that yesterday, it was 95 degrees in Sacramento, and it seemed like it would be deeply irresponsible to turn on the oven for an hour. Next week, maybe. For now, I'm still stuck on tomatoes.

Ingredients
14 oz chicken and/or veggie broth
2 pinches saffron threads
1 yellow onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, one pressed and one slivered
Olive oil
1 rounded cup Arborio rice
White wine
3 cups Aztec or baby spinach (or sub baby arugula)
2 cups or so cubed ripe tomatoes
1/2-3/4 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano
A few chives, for garnish

Combine the broth and saffron in a small pot. Cover, bring to a boil, and set aside.

Meanwhile, heat a large pot or dutch oven over medium heat. When hot, add a generous glug of olive oil. Add the onion and saute, stirring, until it begins to smell sweet, then add the pressed garlic. Continue cooking for another minute or so.

Add the rice, and stir to coat the grains. Saute, stirring, for about 2 more minutes, then add a ladleful of wine. Cook, stirring, until liquid is absorbed, then begin adding the saffron-infused broth by the ladleful, stirring until each one is absorbed before adding the next. It usually takes about 20 minutes for a two-person risotto to cook (that time can increase quite a bit if you double the recipe), but it depends on how high your heat is and how often you stir.

When you have about three ladlefuls of broth left and rice is almost done but still just slightly crunchy on the inside, add about a third of the tomatoes to the risotto and stir to combine. Meanwhile, heat a saute pan over medium heat. Add a glug of olive oil and the slivered garlic, and saute for a minute until it softens. Add the greens and a pinch of salt and stir a few times, then add the rest of the tomatoes. Saute for a minute or two until they are just warmed through, then turn off the heat.

When the rice is tender and you have about one ladleful of broth left, add about half of the sauteed tomato mixture to the risotto, stir gently to combine, and turn off the heat. Add a little more broth if necessary to get a creamy texture, stir in the cheese, and adjust salt to taste.

Spoon into bowls, top with the rest of the sauteed tomato and greens, and sprinkle with chives before serving.

Serves 2-3.