Tonight, a dish that’s perfect for those hot summer evenings where you don’t want to turn on the stove or the oven: a “stew” made entirely of raw and precooked ingredients. Shrimp, cucumbers, and avocado are topped with a puree of tomatoes, onions, and peppers, then topped with cilantro and tortilla chips. This recipe comes from How to Eat Supper.

Lisa says:

Is this like gazpacho or something?

Chris says:

Sort of — it’s like the world’s best chunky salsa.

Lisa says:

Yum… seems pretty light if it’s just raw veggies and shrimp.

Chris says:

Yep! Light and refreshing… that lime juice brightens up the flavors a bit.

Lisa says:

So, you mentioned that you don’t have to turn on the oven, but we did anyway for the bread we had with it.

Chris says:

Yeah, well I also mentioned that it’s good for really hot nights, but it’s actually kinda cool and raining.

Lisa says:

True. It’s still delicious.

Santa Fe Summer Pot with Shrimp and Avocado
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1/2 medium red onion, finely chopped
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1/2 jalapeño, seeded and minced
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp coriander
1/4 tsp freshly-ground black pepper
1 1/2 pounds ripe tomatoes, coarsely chopped
4 sprigs fresh cilantro
1 small cucumber, peeled and diced
1 ripe avocado, diced
1 pound cooked peeled shrimp
Handful tortilla chips, lightly crushed
limes, cut into wedges

In a small bowl, combine the lime juice, onion, garlic, jalapeño, and spices. Let marinate for 10 minutes.
Place the tomatoes and cilantro sprigs into the bowl of a food processor, and pulse until the mixture is chunky. Add the onion mixture, and pulse five times.
Divide the cucumber, avocado, and shrimp among four bowls. Spoon the tomato blend into the bowls. Garnish with the crushed tortilla chips, additional cilantro, and lime wedges.

4 Servings

We’re always looking for new ways to use up the last of our veggies from the CSA box; this recipe from Quick from Scratch Herbs and Spices was easily adaptable to what we had left: broccoli and leeks! It comes from the “Spices” half of the book, and features Turmeric, which we’ve never really had as the main spice/focus of a dish: usually it’s used simply to add color. Not that it didn’t do the same here!

Chris says:

I’ll say it again — the recipes in this book are quick indeed.

Lisa says:

What are those little discs?

Chris says:

Those are the broccoli stems — you cut ‘em like coins… good, eh?

Lisa says:

I like the crunch.

Chris says:

Me too. I like the leeks in this; I’d almost make that a permanent alteration.

Lisa says:

Well we certainly seem to get them often enough in the CSA box…

Chris says:

Yeah, it’s kind of comforting… secure. Wait, ha! It’s a –

Lisa says:

Please don’t say, “Security Leek”

Chris says:

I’ll just go back to eating now.

Broccoli with Turmeric and Tomatoes
2 tbsp canola oil
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 large leek, thinly sliced
1 1/2 lbs broccoli (about 2 large stalks), stems peeled and cut crosswise into 1/4 slices, tops cut into florets
1 cup drained canned fire-roasted diced tomatoes (yield from 1 15-oz can)
1/3 cup water
3/4 tsp salt

In a large, deep frying pan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onions and leeks and cook, covered, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Uncover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions and leeks are very soft, about 5 minutes longer.
Stir in the turmeric to coat the onions. Stir in the broccoli, tomatoes, water, and salt and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until the broccoli is tender, about 10 minutes.

4 Side Servings

Tonight I finally got around to making a soup from The Ultimate Soup Bible, a cookbook we got from Lisa’s brother at Christmas. This easy to make tomato soup is made with Israeli couscous (which is much larger and chewier than regular couscous), onions, tomatoes, garlic, cilantro, and mint; the soup has a great aroma and wonderfully garlicky flavor. It should appear in the rotation pretty regularly. We loved it.

Lisa says:

I love Israeli couscous… and this soup is so colorful.

Chris says:

It’s delicious. I like the cayenne: it’s subtle — just a slight tingle in the back of the throat.

Lisa says:

Oh *that’s* what that is. I was worried I was coming down with something.

Chris says:

Well, you’ll feel the blues if I take your soup away.

Lisa says:

Yeah, I will — I definitely want to have this again…

Chris says:

You’re in luck, then. The recipe makes so much that we’re having leftovers tomorrow night!

Lisa says:

Wahoo!

Tomato Soup with Israeli Couscous
———————————
2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 medium carrots, chopped
14 oz can chopped tomatoes
7 garlic cloves, chopped
6 cups chicken stock (or vegetable stock, if you’re veg.)
1 1/3 cups Israeli couscous
3 mint sprigs, chopped
5 cilantro sprigs, chopped
1/4 tsp ground cumin
cayenne pepper, to taste
salt and ground pepper, to taste

Heat the oil over medium heat in a large saucepan. Add the onions and carrots and cook until they are soft, about 10 minutes. Add 1/2 the garlic and the remaining ingredients to the pan. Bring the soup to a boil, add all but 1 tsp of the chopped garlic, then reduce the heat and simmer for 7-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the couscous is tender. Remove from the heat, stir in the rest of the garlic, and ladle into bowls. Serve with warm sourdough bread.

4-6 Servings

We made this leek soup as a starter dish this week. It was a good way to use up some leftover produce, and we had the rest of the ingredients on hand. I’d recommend adjusting the spices according to your own preferences, the recipe as listed was just a little bland.

Chris says:

Anything to say about this one?

Lisa says:

You mentioned that it was kinda bland, right?

Chris says:

Yeah…

Lisa says:

It was much better after you added those extra spices at the end!

Leek and Tomato Soup
——————–
4 leeks, cut in half lengthwise, then sliced in half moons
1 carrot, shredded
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp garlic granules
2 tbsp whole wheat flour
4 vegetable stock
1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
1/2 tsp tarragon leaf
1/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper
1/4 tsp salt

In a medium pot, saute leeks and carrots in olive oil until tender, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook briefly, about 30 seconds, stirring. Add flour and cook about 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Add stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and add remaining ingredients. Simmer for about 5 minutes. Adjust seasonings to taste.

Serves 4 as a starter

I’ve been wanting to try this “onion pizza” since the day I saw it on The Cooking Ninja’s blog. No sauce, no cheese, just a ton of caramelized onions, some herbs, tomatoes, and anchovies. Simple and amazingly tasty. We love onions, so I knew this would be a hit.

Lisa says:

Holy mackerel it smells good in here.

Chris says:

Actually those are anchovies, and it should smell good — I caramelized four whole onions for this pizza!

Lisa says:

Yum! This is delicious — even with the anchovies!

Chris says:

I thought you would like them; that’s some salty goodness.

(Later…)
Thad and Abbie say:

Why do your clothes smell like onions?

La Pissaladière
—————
(courtesy The Cooking Ninja)
1 pizza dough
4 large onions, sliced (I used 3 yellow, one red)
4 tomatoes, thickly sliced
1 can of anchovies
Herbs de Provence

Preheat the oven to 410F, or use the instructions on your pizza dough. Heat some oil in a pan over medium-high heat and sauté the onions until they start to turn golden brown; sprinkle with salt. On a floured board, roll out your dough into a 12-14″ circle, then move to a pizza pan or baking sheet. Lay the onions onto the dough, then layer with tomatoes, some herbs, and finally, the anchovies. Cook for 25-30 minutes or until the crust is golden brown.