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Tomatillo Gazpacho with Salted Tomato Bruschetta

08/26/15 | avocado, garlic, healthy, leek, Paleo, raw, soup, summer, tomato, vegetarian

tomatillo gazpacho

Some memories are like hazy dreams, but tastes and aromas are unforgettable, like the smell of salted ripe tomatoes. Something magical happens when salt is sprinkled over slices of tomatoes, especially if they are nice and ripe. It takes me right back to my childhood in Iran. I see my grandmother Nina in her favorite apron standing at a white wooden table facing a big sun-drenched window in the basement. There is a mountain of plump red tomatoes stacked near one of those old hand-cranked food mills and rows of glass jars shimmering in the sunlight. Every summer, my grandmother would preserve fresh tomatoes the old fashioned way so we could enjoy them through the long snowy winter.

We left those long winters behind when we moved to California where fresh produce is plentiful year-round. Small grocers in our little town carry fruits and vegetables from local farms. We’re happy to support family businesses and our farmers. The really good stuff is usually somewhere near the cash register. Berries, pluots, and a big box of luscious, fire-engine-red field tomatoes or դաշտի լոլիկ (dashti lolig as they’re called in Armenian). They look so pretty that it’s hard to believe they’re real. While waiting for my turn to pay for my groceries, I pick one up. Then another one winks at me. So I pick him up, too, and another and another, as many as I can carry. What I’m going to do with them is a mystery, of course. Maybe they’ll get stuffed or maybe get tossed into panzanella. It’s not until I see the tomatillos and dive out of line, fumbling like a clumsy circus clown to grab a few that the question “What are we having for dinner tonight?” finally gets an answer. Refreshing and ready in minutes, gazpacho is exactly what this hot, humid weather demands. Plus, those juicy tomatoes will do nicely the perfect sidekick in the form of a bruschetta.

tomatillo gazpacho

As I became more interested in cooking over the years, I discovered the tomato’s cute, green look-alike that’s a staple in the Mexican kitchen: The tomatillo. This little guy wants you to believe it’s a tomato with a superhero cape, but is technically unrelated to its red counterpart. They may not be family, but they certainly get along famously and are often paired in traditional salsas. Expanding on that idea, a meal-size portion of gazpacho would do nicely. The subtle tart taste of the tomatillo highlights the tomato’s sweetness beautifully. Put your blender to work and whip up a creamy batch with tomatillos and avocados. Offered with crusty bread topped with luscious salted tomatoes, this chilled soup is a soothing treat everyone craves at the end of a long, hot day.
Make it vegan. Make it vegetarian.The men will ask, “Where’s the beef?” Frozen cooked, peeled shrimp add just the right amount of protein and flavor. Smooth cannellini beans are a great meatless option. Whether you roast the tomatillos or not, this gazpacho promises to please. The only things I cooked were the leeks and garlic. Everything else went into the mix in fresh form and the results were stellar. 

tomatillo gazpacho
 

Tomatillo Gazpacho with Salted Tomato Bruschetta
Serves: 4
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 10 minutes

Ingredients

2 large tomatoes
2 tsp salt
3 cloves garlic
1 leek
4 tomatillos
3 Persian cucumbers
1 Granny Smith apple
1 avocado
Salt + pepper to taste
1 lime
1 cup ice
1 lb shrimp, peeled, deveined, cooked (optional)
2 Tb crumbled feta cheese
1 tsp fresh thyme
1 loaf crusty bread
 
Instructions
Wash and chop tomatoes into small cubes.
Collect in a bowl and sprinkle salt over the top.
Gently stir with a spoon to coat the tomato well with the salt.
Set aside.

Drizzle some olive oil into a pan and place it over medium heat.

Wash and slice the leeks. 
Add to the pan and cook for a few minutes.
Place the garlic cloves under the flat of the knife blade and give them a good bashing,
one at a time.
Mince and add to the pan and cook until sweet and fragrant, maybe 3 minutes.
 
Peel and wash tomatillos.
Toss them into a blender or food processor.
Wash the cucumbers.
Peel the apple.
Cut avocado down the center, remove the seed and scoop out the flesh.
Add 2 of the cucumbers, apple and 1/2 the avocado to the blender.
Add cooled garlic + leek.
Blitz until smooth.
 
Chop the remaining cucumber and 1/2 avocado.
Season with salt, pepper, lemon juice.
Chop shrimp and combine with the cucumber and avocado.
Season with salt and pepper.
 
Divide gazpacho between 4 bowls, top with 2 tablespoons of the shrimp salad.
Add a dash of crumbled feta cheese and finish with a sprinkle of fresh thyme.
Top slices of crusty bread with the salted tomatoes and serve.

Summer is coming to a close and some of us are anxious for the cooler days of Autumn. Until then, reap the rewards of the sunny harvest and revive a long-forgotten treasure, the gazpacho. Cool and refreshing, this vibrant soup is sure to renew a soul worn by the heat. Being healthy never tasted so good.

tomatillo gazpacho

 
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Comments

  1. Inci Berna Kalinyazgan says

    August 26, 2015 at 23:15

    Colette! I love the photos here! Especially that tomatillo showing off his superhero cape 🙂 Plus the whole idea sounds so refreshing and delicious. Only problem for me is that we don't have tomatillos here. But we do have plenty of tomatoes, in full season. Thanks for the inspiration. It's been a long time since I made gazpacho. And just for the record I pop into your blog more often than you know 😉 I just don't write comments too often

  2. Colette Joseph says

    August 27, 2015 at 20:22

    It's so nice to see you here, Inci!
    Tomatillos are the star of the show, but this soup is lovely still w/o them.
    Perhaps you can add some tart grapes or more lemon juice to make up for their absence?

  3. Sippity Sup says

    August 28, 2015 at 00:35

    What a wonderful concept. I love tart tomatillos and this is a very creative new direction. GREG

  4. Marci says

    August 28, 2015 at 17:05

    This looks delicious! Yum yum yum!!!! xoxo

  5. Jessie Moore says

    August 28, 2015 at 21:48

    OMG, this sounds so delicious!! I love gazpacho, and this sounds like an adventurous new way to enjoy it.

  6. Cheri Savory Spoon says

    August 29, 2015 at 02:47

    Hi Coco, there is nothing like summer tomatoes, they are the best. Your gazpacho sounds amazing, love that you added granny apples and cucumbers.

  7. Lori says

    August 29, 2015 at 12:04

    This sounds amazing. Totally my kind of thing. You are right, we do have similar tastes!

  8. Cocoa and Lavender says

    August 29, 2015 at 20:56

    Dearest Colette – I just love the creaminess of this gazpacho, and am excited to try it. I am so curious to see how the apple plays out in the panoply of flavors! It's nice to know that tomatoes wink at other people, too. When I go to the farmers market on Sundays, I have the same problem as you – I want everything because it all looks and smells so good.

  9. Andrea_TheKitchenLioness says

    August 30, 2015 at 09:42

    Dear Colette, it is another hot summer day around here and I would love to enjoy some of your lovely looking, refreshing Gazpacho for Sunday lunch today! What a creative and delicious, fun recipe to try!
    Hope you and your family is spending a wonderful,lazy, hazy late summer weekend!
    Love,
    Andrea

  10. Valentina says

    September 2, 2015 at 17:38

    Colette, this recipe is calling to me. It looks and sounds so perfectly creamy and flavorful. And I always love hearing about childhood food memories — they seem to shape who we are in the food world. 🙂

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Welcome to Coco in the Kitchen! I am a proud Wife and Mommy cooking up some delicious meals and treats for my family. Follow along and collect some great dishes inspired by my Armenian roots and chocolate cravings! Get to know me more...

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