Olio Extravergine di Oliva | Mah Jongg and Me

As promised, here are the recipes from our luncheon on Wednesday.

GAZPACHO

6 large ripe tomatoes (heirloom if you have them)

2 sweet red or yellow peppers (1 of each is nice)

1-2 jalapeno peppers

1 medium sweet yellow onion

1 large shallot

2 large hothouse cucumbers

1/2 cup red wine vinegar

1/2 cup olive oil

1 1/2 cups canned tomato juice (Sacramento)

Pinch of cayenne pepper

Salt and pepper to taste

1/2 cup fresh dill, chopped

Wash and prepare the veggies, core and coarsely chop tomatoes; save the juice. Core, seed and coarsely chop peppers. Peel and coarsely chop onions and shallots. Coarsely chop cucumbers.

In a bowl, whisk together vinegar, olive oil, reserved tomato juice, and canned tomato juice.

In the food processor, puree the vegetables in small batches, adding tomato juice mixture as necessary. I like to keep the veggies coarse but it’s OK to puree completely. Depending on the juiciness of the tomatoes, you may need more tomato juice. Put each vegetable separately into a food processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse until it is coarsely chopped. Do not overprocess!

After each vegetable is processed, combine them in a large bowl and stir in cayenne, salt, fresh ground pepper, and dill. Cover and chill for at least 4 hrs. It’s always better the next day. I stir and correct seasoning before serving and serve with a small dollop of sour cream. The longer gazpacho sits, the more the flavors develop.

I use a very flavorful olive oil from a shop in Hudson, New York by the name of Olde Hudson (Olio Extravergine di Oliva) and a Cabernet Sauvignon Red Wine vinegar.

CHICKEN CAPRESE SALAD

Okay – this recipe is so easy that I am almost embarrassed to tell you about it. But it is the perfect salad for a hot and humid day – easy to make and delicious to eat!

grape or mini heirloom tomatoes, halved
spicy marinated bocconcini, herbed olive oil reserved
diced rotisserie chicken
Yep, you read this correctly – rotisserie chicken right from the market!!!

Pick the bocconcini out of the herbed olive oil. Quarter and transfer to a bowl. Add the tomatoes and the chicken. Drizzle with herbed olive oil and toss gently to combine; season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.