Gazpacho with Honey Goat Cheese Crostini

Gazpacho redeemed! A creamy, fresh soup of blended tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots, red pepper, almonds, and olive oil.

Gazpacho? Gazpach-no!

Gazpacho initiation happened for me at a young age. Eating at a formal restaurant with my family, in the 90’s, I ordered the soup-du-jour rather than the salad. Hoping for a thick, cream based soup to warm my chubby, midwest heart, I was confronted with a mash of cold, soggy vegetables.

“What is this?”

“Ga-zpa-cho. It’s a cold soup.”

I gave my mother a sideways glance that could only communicate disgust and dismay. But being the adventurous eater that I was, of course tried it. Rivaling salsa in texture and a overly vinegary, virgin bloody mary in taste, I was by no means impressed. And yet, being the hungry child that I was I undoubtedly ate it all. But for much of my adult life I have quickly hurried by any mention of gazpacho on a menu, dismissing it as the same soup I ate as a child. No thanks, but I like my soup hot.

Until recently.

Creamy – Rich – Fresh

After bringing home some fresh, farmer’s market tomatoes, I gave a gazpacho recipe from the New York Times a try. This drinkable, refreshing soup was smooth and creamy from some extra time in the blender and a whole lot of extra virgin olive oil. Gazpacho redeemed! Ever since, I have been experimenting with gazpacho and this recipe has been the best concoction I’ve come up with so far.

First, this gazpacho differs from other with a variety of vegetables, rather than just tomatoes and cucumbers. Also, for extra body, I added a handful of raw almonds. Lastly, and not originally, it has a creamy satiny finish by not being shy with the extra virgin olive oil, keeps me coming back to this recipe every week. Plus it’s crazy easy. I make a big batch after heading to the market, chop some veg and blend with my immersion blender, and eat it for lunch every damn day. Either with a bit of chicken salad or with this super easy, sweet and spicy honey goat cheese crostini. It’s the best way to hold on to the essence of summer until tomato season is good and gone and we’re unpacking our fall sweaters in tears.

The CSA Series Continutes

In case you missed it, this recipe is a part of a series I’m doing called “What to do with your CSA Farm Share” . It’s a slue of recipes and tips, ordered by month, that will give you lots of inspiration on what to do with all the fresh vegetables you receive from a farm share or find at a farmer’s market.

WHAT’S IN SEASON THIS WEEK | AUGUST 16- 22

Here’s what you’re most likely to find in your farm shares or at a farmer’s market this week.

Tomatoes*
Cucumber*
Carrots*
Garlic*
Shallots*
Potatoes
Head lettuce
Leeks
Radishes
Turnips
Summer squash
Swiss Chard
Kale
Green beans

The asterisked items are featured in this recipe .

When you make this creamy gazpacho with honey goat cheese crostini, let me know! I absolutely love seeing your photos of POP KITCHEN recipes up on Instagram. Use the hashtag #popkitchen when you post photos of recipes you’ve made to your Instagram and tag @pop_kitch. I’ll share my favorite photos on POP KITCHEN’s account.

Like the recipe you’re seeing here? Tell your friends about it! Rate the recipe and share your thoughts and questions in the comments below. Your voice helps develop how POP KITCHEN moves forward, and your recommendation helps POP KITCHEN grow. Like POP KITCHEN on Facebook and follow along with all of my recipe inspiration on Pinterest !

Recipe

Gazpacho with Honey Goat Cheese Crostini

Ingredients

4 medium large tomatoes, cut into large pieces (about the size of a tennis ball)
1 medium cucumber, cut into large pieces (about 2 cups)
¼ red pepper, cut into large pieces
1 medium size carrot, not peeled, cut into 1 inch pieces
2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1 shallot, roughly chopped
½ tsp lemon zest
2 Tbsp lemon juice, about 1 lemon
1½ Tbsp red wine vinegar
1½ tsp sea salt
⅓ cup raw almonds, soaked in water for 10 minutes
½ cup extra virgin olive oil, the best you can afford
Parsley, optional
2 large slices of sourdough bread
2 oz goat cheese
2 tsp honey
lots of freshly ground black pepper
a pinch of sea salt

Instructions

Place your almonds in a small container and cover with water while you prep your veggies.
IMMERSION BLENDER: If you have an immersion blender, follow these instructions. In a large bowl or tall narrow container or pitcher, combine all your veggies: tomatoes, cucumbers, red pepper, carrot, garlic, shallot, along with the lemon zest and juice, drained almonds, vinegar, and salt. Place your immersion blender into the bowl or container and puree until very smooth and finely blended. Drizzle in the olive oil and continue to blend until rich and creamy. You don’t want any chunks at all. Taste to see if it needs more salt or vinegar.
REGULAR BLENDER: If you are using a regular blender, you will need to make the soup in batches. Add half of all the ingredients except the olive oil into the blender and puree on high until very smooth. Pour in half the olive oil and puree until creamy and fully incorporated. Pour the gazpacho into a large bowl or container. Repeat once again with the other half of the ingredients.
CROSTINI: Place an oven rack on the top rung of your oven and set your oven to broil on high. Place the sourdough on a baking sheet. Spread 1 oz of goat cheese onto each piece of bread evenly. Sprinkle with a generous amount of black pepper and a pinch of sea salt. Drizzle honey overtop of the goat cheese so each piece of bread is evenly coated. Place the baking sheet on the top rack and broil for 1 minute. Turn the pan around and broil 1 minute more or until the bread and goat cheese are nicely caramelized.
GREEN DECORATIONS: To make the green dots, puree ¼ cup of gazpacho with a quarter cup of parsley. Place drops on the soup and drag a knife or tooth pick through it to form different shapes.