I’m taking a little liberty with the name here, a Gazpacho is technically “a Spanish-style soup made from tomatoes and other vegetables and spices, served cold.” In this case, you’ll be using organic sweet summer corn as the base, there will be a bit of fresh tomatoes, and you can serve the soup warmed, chilled, or even room temperature. Whatever you want to call this…I’m drawn to the fresh and light summer flavors, the ease of preparation, and the ability to modify based on your taste preference. I’m including the base recipe below, but this is one you can make your own. Choose fresh herbs -I’m drawn to cilantro or basil, but this would be just as nice with parsley or fresh chives. Add a hint of spice, jalapeno or serrano chili is nice, you could also go more southwest and add roasted poblano or green chili. Remember, when it comes to corn, don’t play around with conventional stalks. You MUST go organic, so whether you purchase at a local farmer’s market or grocery, don’t buy it if it isn’t organic.
Summer Corn Gazpacho
Serves 4
Ingredients
4 ears organic corn, removed from husks and kernals sliced off cob
½ yellow or orange bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and chopped
1 cup cucumber, peeled and chopped
1 cup organic tomates, chopped
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 tsp. white wine vinegar
1 tsp. Herbamare seasoning or ½ tsp. sea salt
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Garnish Options:
reserved corn kernels
cilantro microgreens
fresh basil
fresh parsley
fresh chopped chives
seeded and diced jalapeno or Serrano chilis
roasted poblano or green chili
small diced tomatoes
Instructions
Combine all ingredients into a blender. Season to taste.
Serve with fresh garnishes of your choice and additional drizzle of olive oil.
