Gazpacho: The Soup of Summer

After having such a uber-delicious first course of gazpacho and purple-pea hummus last week at McEwan's, Will and I have both had those dishes on our mind ever since! This weekend, Will wanted to recreate them... and recreate them we did! :-) And of course, we kept it just as local - using ingredients obtained from our very own Memphis Farmers' Market.
First, let's talk gazpacho. As usual, Will had all the logistics of soup/hummus creation under control. I just basically went along the ride, helping as was needed. In high school, I remember trying to make my own gazpacho one summer with little success, so I was happy he took over! The first step was to gather lots of peppers, garlic, and tomatoes and broil in the oven until nicely blackened.

Pepper Pile!

Next, Will "de-skinned" the peppers (while I worked on the hummus) and then pureed them in a food processor with some chopped onions, apple cider vinegar, salt, and fresh basil. Once everything was evenly blended and soupy, we poured it into bowls and topped with a basil flower-kissed round of goat cheese.  (Again, Will's idea!)

Gazpacho Close-up

Next up, the hummus. Will called it "Homeland Hummus" as it was his idea to totally remake a Middle-Eastern dish so that it would reflect only local ingredients of the South: black-eyed peas, peanut butter, and apple cider vinegar. We started with a pile of beans he had cooked up previously which were just reheated in a saucepan with a bit of baking soda (to break down the skins) and broth. Then, the warmed, now mushy beans were blended in the food processor with the other aforementioned ingredients, plus a bit of sea salt. Served up along-side our gazpacho with a few triangles of whole wheat pita and we had created a fabulous meal!

Our gazpacho and hummus definitely rivaled those at the fancy dinner we attended, but only better because this time around I have leftovers to enjoy the rest of the week! YUM!
Keep it cool y'all!