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Exploring food, one calorie at a time:
Eat to live? Or live to eat? That question came up at a recent dieters’ meeting. I thought: It’s summer, and the living is not only easy, it’s filled with farm-fresh goodies. So I’m going to live to eat.
Been to your local farmers’ market? A quick tour of Saturday’s Reston Farm Market turned up the usual seasonal goodies; DC’s Dupont FRESHFARM Market on Sunday was just as exhilarating. Food, music, and plenty of people-watching.
But consider this: No farms. No food. That’s a favorite saying of one of the ladies who started the Dupont Market, DC’s “must-go” destination every Sunday. I was amazed to learn that the Dupont Market has become so popular that it’s listed in guidebooks and gets about 500 new shoppers every half hour. Seems that lots of other folks have decided to live to eat.
On a serious note: It’s time to worry about the future of our farms, even the local farmers who treat us every week with their fresh-picked or just-made bounty. The 2007 Farm Bill, legistlation that will determine who farms what and where and determines the way food is served and handled in schools and hospitals, is headed for a Congressional vote. Read about the bill and how it may affect you and your local farmers: out www.healthyfarmbill.org.
In the meantime, let’s celebrate summer with just-picked food. How about this authentic gazpacho? I got the recipe from an Andalusian cook in Madrid some years ago. It’s simple, honest, and packed with tomato goodness:
Let’s eat!
Marcelina’s Gazpacho
Serves 4 to 6
Growing up in rural Andalusia, Marcelina had to hand-chop all the ingredients, but nowadays, thanks to the blender or food processor, the soup comes together in a snap; depending on the size of the container, you may have to prepare this in batches. Play around with the vegetable quantities to suit your taste. You can turn this into a main course if you offer an omelet or grilled cheese sandwich alongside.
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons white vinegar
3 to 4 large ripe tomatoes, stem end removed and quartered
1 cucumber, peeled and cut into chunks
1 onion, peeled and quartered
1 green pepper, halved and seeded
2 1/2 cups bread cubes, toasted
1 to 2 tablespoons chopped garlic
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Diced green pepper for garnish
Diced onion for garnish
Combine olive oil, vinegar, and part of the tomatoes in a blender or food processor, and process until almost smooth. Add the remaining tomatoes, cucumber, half an onion, and half the green pepper. Process for a few seconds. Add the garlic, salt, and pepper, and process until smooth. Chill.
Dice the remaining onion and the remaining green pepper, and set aside. To serve, ladle the soup into individual bowls, and garnish with the bread cubes, diced green pepper, and diced onion.
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