Gazpacho w/ Crab and Shrimp

Gazpacho is a tomato based Spanish soup prepared with raw fruits and vegetables and is served chilled. It's super lite and refreshing. This soup is a wonderful summer meal from the garden.



Traditionally, gazpacho is made with chunks of bread blended in it. This adds texture to the soup and makes it more hearty. I didn't add bread to this recipe because I wanted a lighter, smoother soup. Instead, I served this gazpacho with silver dollar sized Jalapeño Corn Cakes. This allowed the diners to dip, top, or crumble the bread into their soups individually. I like interactive food, it adds a lot of fun to the dinner table!

Gazpacho

7 Tomatoes
3 Cucumbers - peeled
1 Jalapeño - seeds removed
1 small Onion - grated
1/4 large Yellow Bell Pepper
1 Garlic Clove - minced or pressed
Juice from 1 Lemon
Hot Sauce
Salt
White Pepper

Set two bowls out in your work station, one large and one smaller. Dice all of the fruits and veggies. Place about 1/3 of each in the small bowl and the rest in the large bowl.




Once the veggies are chopped, blend everything that's in the large bowl together until it's smooth. Use a blender of food processor and work in small batches to insure a consistent texture. Once blended, place the soup in a large serving or storing bowl.




Stir your diced fruits and vegetables, from the small bowl, into the blended soup.

Season the gazpacho with lemon juice, hot sauce, salt and pepper. Taste as you're seasoning and adjust as needed.

Now, your soup is done. You just need to chill, garnish, and serve.

At this point, the gazpacho is gluten free and vegetarian. To keep it this way, serve in a chilled glass topped with petite diced veggies and garnish with a lemon wedge and/or cucumber slice.

To make your gazpacho a little more fancy (and fun), top it with seafood!

This seafood topping was inspired by The Sample Room's Gazpacho that we ate last summer.

Rosemary Skewered Shrimp

I took these little guys to my friends Alisha and Molly's dinner party. I served them with my Creamy Herb Dip. They were easy, tasty and very pretty! There were ten people at the party, so I only put one shrimp per rosemary stem. If you're cooking for more people, or have less rosemary to work with, add two or three shrimp per stalk.



Rosemary Skewers

You'll need a lot of thick rosemary steams. Clean and dry them. Then trim them, if needed.

Firmly hold the top of a rosemary stem between your fingers. Use your other hand to grab the bottom of the herb. Slid your fingers down away from the tip of the rosemary, removing the needle like leaves. You want to clear a space large enough for your shrimp to fit on it.

Set the skewers aside.

Chop the rosemary that you remove from the stalk and use it in the marinade, stalk, and dip.

Marinade

24 Shrimp - peeled and deveined (reserve the heads and shells)
1/5 cup Evoo
1 T Soy Sauce (I used gluten free)
Lemon Juice from 1/2 a lemon (reserve the squeezed lemon)
3 cloves Garlic - crushed and peeled
Black and White Pepper
Cayenne
Smoked Paprika
Thyme
Rosemary
Chives
Sugar
splash of White Balsamic Vinegar
splash of Water

Mix everything together in a bowl. Cover and chill for 30 minutes.

Yellowfin Tuna and Pasta in Veggie Sauce

This meal has a lot going on, but it's still pretty simple to make. I'm breaking it down into four parts. Marinade, sauce, cooking, and enjoying. The sauce is vegetarian, so you could skip the meat steps if you wanted to and still have a yummy meal. Just add your favorite cheese.


Marinading
1 6oz Yellowfin steak
6 Jumbo Shrimp
Mayo
Worcestershire sauce
Garlic - pressed
S/P
Red Pepper Flakes (RPF)
Italian Seasoning
Red Wine Vinegar
EVOO

Mix last eight ingredients together in a bowl. Spread completely over fish. In another bowl toss shrimp with the same ingredients, except for the mayo and vinegar. Cover both dishes and place in fridge.













Sauce
EVOO and 1 T Butter
1 Leek - sliced and cleaned
1/2 Orange Pepper - diced
1 yellow Squash - diced
Garlic - diced
Tomato Paste
S/P
RPF (Red Pepper Flakes)
6 smalll Tomatoes (different verities) - diced
Fresh Basil - chiffonade
1 T Butter

Heat EVOO and butter,a tablespoon or less of each, till just hot. Add next three ingredients, season with S/P and cook till tender. Then add garlic and tomato paste and cook for another 2 minutes. Stir in the fresh tomatoes, S/P, and RPF. Bring sauce to a boil, then reduce heat. Simmer till the rest of the food is ready. Just before serving, stir in basil and 1 tablespoon butter. This sauce is vegetarian and gluten free.













Cooking
Bring water to a boil. Oil grill pan, outdoor grill, or a skillet if you don't have a grill. Heat the grill pan over medium heat. Place the fish down and do not touch it again for 2 minutes. If you move it around before a seal is formed on the fish,it will stick.

Once the water is boiling, add a tablespoon of salt and pasta. I used angel hair, but you can use whatever kind you like. Cook till almost done, then drain and toss with sauce.

Flip the steak over and put the shrimp on the grill. Once the shrimp starts to turn pink, this will happen quickly, turn them over.

Check the tuna to see if it is done to your liking. Some people like their fish rare and others must have it fully cooked. The fish I had was not sushimi grade, so I cooked it almost completely through.

I usually like my tuna blood rare so that it is never dried out, but the mayo in this recipe keeps the fish nice and moist. When it's almost done, remove it from the heat and let sit a minute. Slice before serving.

Once the shrimp are pink and firm to the touch, they are done. Do not over cook your shrimp! Remember that the seafood will continue to cook after it leaves the grill, so take it off just before it's to your liking.











Enjoying
Place pasta in shallow bowl or plate. Top with tuna and shrimp. Serve with lemon and crunchy bread, and enjoy!