spicy gazpacho...

spicy gazpacho..., a photo by credd on Flickr.

so...
remember yesterday that i was at cornerstone sonoma...
at the tomato tasting event.
oh yeah...
and my grapettes won the taste contest.

well...
there was also a 'cooking' exhibit...
and gazpacho was made.

since i have SO MANY tomatoes...
and the weather is in the upper 90s...
i thought i'd try out the recipe we received...
and make a batch today.

***
8 large ripe tomatoes, quartered
1 english cucumber, peeled & roughly chopped
1 small red onion, sliced
1 red bell pepper
1-4 jalapenos, seeded & chopped
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1 tbsp black pepper
1 tbsp kosher salt
4 cloves garlic, chopped
4 shots tabasco

directions - mix all ingredients in a bowl and let marinate overnight. run through food mill & then place in blender briefly. do not over blend. garnish with tomatoes 1/4" dice, cucumber, red onion, red pepper, cilantro, italian parsley. fold in garnish & top with creme fraiche & julienne basil.

recipe...
courtesy of...
eric hollis,
executive chef
alsina station grill

***
ya'll know i don't follow recipes so...

i used shallots instead of red onion...
and added a lot more tabasco.
i also added a couple of dashes of worchestershire sauce.

oh...
and i also didn't use a food mill.

i did some other things too...
but...
make it your own.

enjoy!

tangy salted green chilies...

tangy salted green chilies..., a photo by credd on Flickr.

256

10 serrano chili peppers
1/4 cup distilled white vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

wearing rubber gloves, slice chili peppers very thinly. place them in a jar & stir in vinegar and salt. cover loosly with a lid, or with cheesecloth and a rubber band.

refrigerate for five days, then close lid tightly. keep stored in refrigerator. peppers will last for several weeks.

yield 3/4 cup

*recipe from nytimes

***

this is one of my favorite condiments

for my dad...

for my dad..., a photo by credd on Flickr.

tomorrow i'm going to hang out with my parents...
so i made another jar of pickles for my dad.

my mother may try them...
but she's not really into this type of thing.

i picked up a container of okra chips for her...
when i went to whole foods today.

i'll make another batch on monday...
to take to my co-workers on tuesday.

***

i tasted one of the pickle spears last night when i got home from class...
OMG...
it was SO good!

i'm so excited about my new pickling hobby...
i need to pick up some more jars...
pronto!

and...
i should probably get a canning set...
so i can process some of these...
so i'm not just making & eating them.

not that there's anything wrong with fresh, homemade pickles!

i made pickles...

i made pickles..., a photo by credd on Flickr.

i'm so excited!!!


i can't wait to taste one...
or two.


and if they're as good as they smell...
i'll be making some more this weekend...
and also trying my hand at pickling other things!


so...
call me crazy...
but...
i'm excited!


***


the recipe i followed was from food in jars. i found the recipe a couple of weeks ago while browsing the web...and then...i lost it.


being the persistent person that i am...i kept looking. and luckily...i found the recipe again last night. five minutes later...i was in the kitchen. making pickles. at 11:00 at night. when i needed to be in bed. because i have work...and school on thursday.

toddy...

toddy..., a photo by credd on Flickr.

today i have no voice.

since i have quite a bit of reading to do...
that could be a good thing.

it'll keep me from talking (so much)...
as it hurts to do so.

a cup of hot chai tea...
w/a few extra ingredients.

enjoy your sunday.