July is one of the best months of the year for food in Arkansas! First and foremost, it’s because of the abundant tomato harvest that can be found at just about any farmers market in the city. Of course, one of the best preparations of the Arkansas tomato is simply to slice it, add a little salt and enjoy. That’s perhaps the best way to eat them, but if you want to add a little variety to your food, try making gazpacho.
Gazpacho is a classic chilled soup from southern Spain, using tomatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers and other fresh ingredients. However, my favorite way to make gazpacho is with a New World twist, using flavors of Latin America to amplify the fresh flavors of all the vegetables. Any way you do it, gazpacho is a wonderful way to celebrate summer, enjoy some delicious Arkansas produce and help support Arkansas farmers.
Latin American Gazpacho with Avocado Corn Salsa
Makes about 6 cups
- 2 ears of corn
- Olive oil
- 1 avocado, still firm
- 1 bunch of cilantro
- 2 jalapeño peppers, stemmed and seeded
- 2 limes
- 8 Roma tomatoes, stems removed
- 1 small cucumber, stem removed, roughly chopped
- 2 bell peppers, stemmed and seeded, roughly chopped
- Salt
Remove the husks from the corn and coat the ears in olive oil. On a grill or grill pan over medium heat, grill the corn on all sides until brown and black marks start to show, about 10 minutes. Set the ears aside and let cool.
In a food processor or blender, add tomatoes, cucumber and bell peppers. Add 1 jalapeño, stemmed and seeded. Add half the cilantro, stems and leaves. Add juice of 1.5 limes. Add salt to taste. Seal blender or food processor and pulse until all vegetables are chopped. Set on low and slowly add ¼ cup of olive oil. Blend until incorporated but still chunky. Taste and adjust salt accordingly. Set in fridge to chill for one hour.
After corn has cooled, cut corn from the ears and place in a bowl. Add ¼ cup of cilantro leaves only, finely chopped. Add 1 jalapeño, stemmed and seeded, finely chopped. Remove avocado from its peel and dice, adding to the salsa mixture. Squeeze juice from ½ lime over the salsa and add salt to taste. Stir gently to combine, seal and place in the fridge.
To serve, pour gazpacho into a bowl and top with a generous portion of the salsa.
Note: If you want to prepare the classic gazpacho recipe, remove the jalapeños, cilantro and lime juice. Add 4 cloves of garlic, ¼ cup of red wine vinegar and ¼ cup of basil leaves, firmly packed. Serve garnished with additional thinly sliced basil leaves.