Gazpacho

Gazpacho is a Spanish tomato based raw vegetable soup eaten during the warm part of the year and typically served room temperature or chilled. Originating in Andalusia, Spain, gazpacho is likely based on a Muslim or Roman peasant soup consisting of bread, garlic, olive oil and water, to which the Spanish later incorporated vegetables from the new world including tomatoes and peppers. Gazpacho is eaten throughout Spain, Portugal, and Central American, yet the soup itself varies a great deal depending upon both ingredients used and the texture and consistency created. Gazpacho is delicious with leek galette and white wine sangria.

Most any lighter bread will work.

4 ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped

1 c stale bread, roughly chopped

2 tbsp olive oil

1 medium cucumber, peeled and roughly chopped

1 medium red or orange bell pepper, trimmed and roughly chopped

1 tbsp fresh parsley

1 tbsp fresh basil

1 clove garlic, peeled

1 small yellow or red onion, trimmed and roughly chopped

salt and pepper

olive oil

balsamic vinegar

1. Thoroughly combine bread and olive oil in a small mixing bowl. Set aside for 2 hours.

2. Place onion, cucumber, bell pepper, garlic and herbs into a food processor and pulse or lightly blend until finely chopped. Add tomato and continue to process until everything is finely chopped.

3. Add bread and process until all ingredients are thoroughly combined. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

4. Serve gazpacho room temperature or chilled, topped with balsamic vinegar and olive oil to taste.

Serves 3-4

Chapatis : Whole Wheat Flatbread

Chapatis are a version of roti or any unleavened flat bread found in South Asian cuisine. Common to Indian cooking, chapatis vary in shape and ingredients depending upon the region; however, they are all made of whole wheat flour and cooked on a hot skillet. Flatbreads, like chapatis are important parts of the meal, as they serve as both the carbohydrate and eating utensil. Though they are superb with any number of Indian dishes, chapatis can be eaten at almost any time with almost anything. They are a great alternative to other flatbreads, crackers and leavened breads. Fresh handmade chapatis are delicious and easy to make. Chapatis are delicious served with curries such as matar saag paneer or hummus and baba ghanoush.

2 c wheat flour

2 tbsp ghee or softened butter

½ c yogurt

1 tsp salt

1. Combine flour and salt. Thoroughly work in ghee or butter using fingers. Slowly add yogurt to flour mixture until dough holds together, more or less yogurt may be used as necessary. Continue kneading dough until elastic and dry to the touch. Wrap dough is plastic wrap and set aside for 1-2 hours.

2. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Roll dough into 1" balls. Place dough ball between two sheets of parchment paper and roll dough into 8-10" rounds, about 1/8" thick.

3. Place chapati on skillet and cook until both sides are golden brown, about 1 minute per side. After cooking, wrap chapati in a towel or plastic bag to keep them soft. Repeat steps 2 and 3 until all dough has been cooked.

4. Serve chapatis warm or room temperature. Chapatis will keep for 3-4 days but are best eaten fresh.

Makes 12-16 chapatis

Southwestern Wheat Tortillas

I have many fond memories of my father in the kitchen making fresh tortillas. Generally, we would not eat them with a meal but instead fresh and hot, on their own or slathered with butter. My father taught me a few important lessons for making homemade tortillas, add warm water slowly, let the dough rest before rolling and roll the tortillas as thin as possible. Now, whenever I make tortillas, I always think of making tortillas in the kitchen I grew up in and what my father taught me. Tortillas, a flatbread originating in the New World, are eaten in many countries, with variances in ingredients, size and thickness, depending upon the region. These tortillas are made from wheat flour and use a leavening agent to make them puffy, thick and chewy as is common in regions of the Southwestern States, Belize and Guatemala. Tortillas are delicious with any number of accompaniments such as fresh corn salad and stewed pork and beans or simply on their own.

For Burt, who loves tortillas.

2 c flour

1 ½ tsp powder

1 tsp salt

2 tbsp vegetable oil

warm water

1. Combine flour, salt and baking powder in a bowl. Add oil and evenly mix with dry ingredients. Add warm water, 1 tbsp at a time, thoroughly combining ingredients with water each time until dough holds together. Once dough is combined, knead dough until elastic, 2-3 minutes. Cover dough and set aside for at least 30 minutes.

2. Roll dough into cylinder, about 1" thick. Cut cylinder into 1" wide segments. Roll segments into round balls and cover with a towel. Heat large grill or skillet over medium-high heat.

3. Place a ball in between 2 12" squares of parchment paper and roll balls as thin as possible to form tortillas, 10-12" diameter. Place tortilla on skillet and cook until golden brown, 30 seconds to one minute per side. Remove tortilla when cooked and place in a clean dishtowel to keep warm.

4. Repeat step 3 until all tortillas have been cooked.

5. Fresh tortillas are delicious warm or room temperature, plain or with any number of accompaniments. Tortillas will keep for a few days in a plastic bag, though are best eaten fresh.

Makes 6-8 tortillas

Ploye : Buckwheat Flatbread

Ployes, buckwheat flatbread, date back to 18th century Acadian communities, of French heritage, on the Maine-New Brunswick border. The buckwheat flatbread originally served as inexpensive bread source for settlers as buckwheat, first cultivated in Southeast Asia, is a hardy plant with a short growing season and grows well in most soils, making it popular in both northern France and North America. Ployes are similar in style to galettes de sarrasin, buckwheat flatbread from the Brittany region of France, likely inspiration for French settlers. I like to eat ployes with toppings similar to pancakes including butter, maple syrup, brown sugar or peanut butter. They are also delicious with savory foods and are often served with stewed meats such as bacon braised chicken and beer stewed pork.

1 c buckwheat flour

½ c flour

1 ½ tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

1 c cold water

1 ½ c boiling water

1. Thoroughly combine dry ingredients and cold water in a medium mixing bowl. Let rest for 5 minutes.

2. Vigorously whisk boiling water into buckwheat batter and continue whisking until batter is smooth. Let rest for 30 minutes.

3. Heat a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Once skillet is hot, whisk batter and pour ¼ c batter onto skillet. Cook ploye until air bubbles are cleared of liquid and bottom is golden brown, 1-2 minutes and do not flip. Remove ploye from skillet by carefully lifting all edges before fully removing ploye. Repeat process with remaining batter, whisking batter before making each ploye.

4. Serve ployes warm or room temperature with desired toppings.

Makes 8-10 ployes

Summer Squash Stuffed with Ricotta

Squash originated in the Americas and the genus Curcurbita has been cultivated for thousands of years. Summer squash, like zucchini, are fruits from the species C. pepo. Summer squash are harvested when still immature so that their rind is still tender and therefore edible. Due to their tenderness, summer squash have a shorter storage life than their winter counterparts. Summer squash are versatile vegetables, being so tender and mild, and I like cooking with them often. The ricotta filling accompanies the squash well with a subtle but rich flavor. I have served stuffed squash with gnocchi and arugula pesto or creamy polenta.

Zucchini may be used instead of summer squash.

2 medium summer squash, halved

1 medium carrot, trimmed and finely diced

1 stalk celery, trimmed and finely diced

1 small yellow onion, trimmed and finely diced

1 clove garlic, pressed or finely chopped

¼ c parsley, finely chopped

1 tbsp olive oil plus more for drizzling

1 c ricotta

¼ c breadcrumbs

1 small tomato, sliced into thin rounds

salt and pepper

1. Preheat oven 375 degrees. Using a spoon, scoop seeds and pulp from squash halves until the shells are roughly ¼ inch thick. Brush with olive oil and set aside.

2. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add onion, celery and carrot and sauté until translucent, about 5 minutes, add garlic and remove from heat.

3. Combine ricotta, parsley, breadcrumbs and sautéed ingredients in a medium mixing bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

4. Fill each squash half with ricotta mixture until level with rim. Place halves in a baking dish with filling sides up, lay tomato rounds on top of filled squash and drizzle with olive oil.

5. Bake squash halves until lightly browned and tender, 20-30 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool, 5-10 minutes. Serve warm or room temperature.

Makes 4 stuffed squash

Pizza

Homemade pizza is fairly easy and enjoyable to make, as there are endless delicious toppings. Pizza is essentially a flat bread covered with various toppings, a method which many cultures and cuisines share and has been popular in the Mediterranean region for centuries. Modern pizza owes its origin to Neapolitan cuisine, first with tomato and later with cheese. This pizza dough recipe is based on a Cook's Illustrated recipe I found in Baking Illustrated. I made a classic Margherita pizza with tomato sauce, basil and fresh mozzarella, originally served in 1889 to Queen Margherita of Savoy to resemble an Italian flag. Other pizza toppings which are delicious as well include butternut squash with goat cheese and roasted cherry tomatoes with fresh mozzarella. I generally serve pizza with salad, such as caesar or arugula with oranges and almonds.

For Heather, who requested a pizza dough recipe.

2 c flour plus more for shaping dough

1 tsp salt

1 ¼ tsp yeast

¼ c water, warm

½ c water, room temperature

1 tbsp honey

1 tbsp olive oil plus more for bowl

1. Place warm water in a small mixing bowl. Sprinkle yeast on water and let stand until yeast swells and dissolves, 5-10 minutes. Combine flour and salt in mixing bowl.

2. Once yeast is ready, add room temperature water, olive oil and honey. Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients and gently mix to combine. Knead dough until dry to touch and elastic, about 7 minutes, adding additional flour as necessary. Place kneaded dough in a large well-oiled mixing bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled in size, about 2 hours.

3. Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Preheat baking stone as well, if one is being used for pizza.

4. Punch dough down to deflate, turn onto a floured working surface, divide into two equal balls and cover with a damp towel. Let dough relax in balls for 10-20 minutes.

5. Working with each ball by hand, shape the dough into a 10" round or other size and shape as desired. Place dough on a flour pizza peel, if using a baking stone, or a parchment lined cookie sheet. Brush the surface of formed pizza dough with olive oil.

6. Place desired toppings on pizza and bake until done, 8-12 minutes depending upon thickness of pizza and toppings.

Makes 2 10" pizzas

Caesar Salad

Caesar salad is what I order the most when eating out because, aside from loving the flavors, it is a fairly standard salad and therefore less likely to be inedible, though not all Caesars are created equally. Though the true origins of the salad are debated, it likely arose in California during the early to mid-twentieth century. Caesar salads are easy to make on one's own and are best fresh with homemade dressing and croutons. Caesar salads are great with pizza and bacon braised chicken.

The anchovy may be increased or omitted depending upon preference. Fresh eggs are best. Other types of bread may be used as well. Traditionally the dressing is prepared in the salad bowl prior to adding the salad ingredients, which works very well, though I find blending the dressing ingredients most evenly distributes them in the final salad.

Dedicated to my dearest Heather, who requested a Caesar recipe for the holidays. Happy cooking in Washington.

½ c olive oil plus 1 tbsp for croutons

1 clove garlic

1 c French or sourdough bread, cut into ½ in cubes

1 egg

1 lemon, juiced and strained

1 tsp salt

1 anchovy

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

½ tsp white wine vinegar

½ c grated parmesan

2 heads romaine lettuce, washed and roughly chopped

freshly ground pepper

1. Combine garlic and ½ c olive oil in a small bowl, infuse at room temperature for at least 24 hours.

2. Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees. Gently combine bread and 1 tbsp olive oil, arrange in single layer on a baking sheet and place in oven. Allow croutons to bake until golden brown, 8-10 minutes. Once golden brown, remove from oven and set aside.

3. Meanwhile, bring a small saucepan of water to a boil, gently place the entire egg in the boiling water and boil for 1 minute. Once the egg has coddled, remove from heat and immerse in cold water to stop the cooking process.

4. Place olive oil, garlic, anchovy, lemon juice, salt, Worcestershire sauce, vinegar and egg in a blender or food processor. Blend until ingredients are well combined, about 1 minute.

5. Combine lettuce, croutons and Parmesan in a large mixing bowl. Add dressing and gently toss ingredients until they are evenly coated. Season to taste with freshly ground pepper. Serve immediately.

Serves 3-4

Socca : Chickpea Flatbread

Socca is a southeastern French flatbread made from garbanzo bean flour, essentially a chickpea crepe baked in the oven. I first discovered socca when researching flatbreads of the world and have loved it ever since. Socca may be eaten on its own or with any number of toppings and fillings. It is an excellent gluten-free alternative to traditional wheat-based flatbreads. Braised chicken and stewed pork can be wrapped in socca making an excellent meal.

More or less water may be added to the flour, depending on desired thickness. A 500-degree oven will also work, with a slightly increased cooking time. I have also used flour made from both fava and garbanzo beans, which worked out very well.

1 c garbanzo bean flour

¾ tsp salt

½ tsp ground pepper

1 ½ c cold water

2 tbsp olive oil plus more to coat skillet

10 inch cast iron skillet

1. Place skillet in oven and preheat oven to 525 degrees.

2. Meanwhile, place garbanzo bean flour, salt, pepper, water and oil in a medium mixing bowl and whisk to combine into a batter.

3. Once oven is heated, carefully remove skillet from oven and place on safe surface. Coat skillet with olive oil, add ½ c of batter and spread evenly by rotating skillet around. Return skillet to oven and allow to cook for 5-7 minutes or until edges are golden brown and pulling away from sides of skillet. Using a spatula, loosen socca from skillet, place on flat surface and allow to cool.

4. Repeat step 3 until all batter has been used. May be served warm or room temperature.

Makes 4 ten inch flatbreads