Posted on by Myfrenchkitchen · 1 Comment

Two tone gazpacho with tomatoes and cucumber, and crunchy salsa.

A gazpacho for summer is a winner with everybody. Why not try a duo with two gazpachos served in one bowl.Its colourful and flacourfull and it is summer in a bowl. Add with that a crunchy salsa and slices of sourdough bread and it can make for a good vegetarian meal.

Recipe:

  • Green: 1 large cucumber
  • 1 large spring onion, white bulb and green stem and green leaves
  • 1 large granny smith apple
  • Half a cup of mint leaves, removed from the stems
  • 1 large green pepper
  • juice of half a lime
  • 2 TBSP of white balsamic vinegar
  • 100ml apple juice (optional)
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • Red: 4 large tomatoes, skin removed by making a cross at the top, dipping into boiled water for about 5 minutes, rinse under cold water and peel off the skin.
  • 1 large spring onion, only the white bulb
  • Half a cup of basil leaves
  • 1 large red pepper
  • juice of half a lemon
  • 3 TBSP of tomato paste
  • 2 TBSP of balsamic vinegar
  • 100 ml tomato juice juice (optional)
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • Salsa: Half a red onion diced
  • Half yellow pepper diced
  • Small spring onion
  • 2 slices of bread, cut into cubes and toasted in the oven (optional)
  • Olive oil
  1. Chop and blend all the ingredients for green gazpacho together until liquid. It doesnt have to be velvety smooth.
  2. Season to taste and pour into a jug.
  3. Chop and blend all the ingredients together for the red gazpacho.
  4. Season to taste and pour into a jug.
  5. Dice the ingredients for the salsa and mix. Add the cubes of toasted bread just before serving.
  6. Let the gazpachos and salsa cool in the fridge until serving.
  7. Take the two jugs,(or two ladels), one in each hand and pour the two gazpachos slowly at the same time, left and right, into a bowl until the two liquids meet in the middle.
  8. Add the salsa on top of the line where the two gazpachos meet.
  9. Add the toasted croutons on the salsa.(optional)
  10. Drizzle the bowl with olive oil and sprinkle with milled pepper.
  11. Repeat with three other bowls.
  12. Serve cold with extra bread on the side.

Serves Four as a starter

Pinch of salt:

  • Add some apple juice to the green gazpacho if its too thick to your liking.
  • Add some tomato juice to the red gazpacho if its too thick to your liking.
  • Add some cubed avocado to the salsa.
  • Add some kiwi to the salsa.
  • Add crumbed feta to the salsa.
  • Add 2 kiwis to the green gazpacho instead of the apple.
  • Use shallots in the red gazpacho instead of the green onion bulb.
Posted on by Myfrenchkitchen · 1 Comment

Tomato salad with onions,walnuts,seeds and labneh with sumac.

Nothing beats simplicity on life. A simple tomato salad. Full of flavour and a taste of summer. A salad only to be eaten in season when the tomatoes are local and fresh and in abundance. I love labneh and with the added sumac, it adds a mediterranean flavour to the salad.

Recipe:

  • A variety of tomatoes in colour and size
  • A handful of mixed seeds, pumpkin seeds, lin seeds, sunflower seeds, and dried black currants
  • A few walnuts, roughly crushed
  • 1 large spring onion, diced on the diagonal
  • Plenty of fresh basil leaves
  • Labneh, torn in chunks
  • Sumac
  • Salt
  • Olive oil
  • Balsamic vinegar
  1. Labneh: Place a piece of muslin, or clean cotton towel over a sieve over a bowl. Scoop about two heaped TBSP of greek joghurt, or Skyr, onto the muslin. Add one heaped teaspoon of salt to the joghurt. Pull the ends of the muslin together and twist to form a ball of the joghurt. Put in the fridge and let it drain overnight. Remove the ball of joghurt(labneh) from the muslin and place in a separate bowl. Sprinkle liberally with sumac.
  2. Cut the tomatoes in different sizes and slices for interest. Add to a large bowl.
  3. Add the slices onion, sprinkle with salt and pepper some more sumac and mix the salad gently.
  4. Transfer to a large platter .
  5. Sprinkle the nuts, seeds and currants without mixing the salad.
  6. Add the torn labneh chunks.
  7. Liberally add some basil leaves.
  8. Drizzle lastly with olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
  9. Serve with crusty bread and some more labneh and sumac on the side.

Serves 4

Pinch of salt:

  • Use goats cheese instead of the labneh.
  • Use seeds or nuts of your choice.
  • Add slices of peach to the salad.
  • Use Skyr, zero percent fat joghurt instead of fullfat greek joghurt for a healthier version, you won’t even know the difference!
  • Omit the onion if you have small children who dont eat onion, it won’t change the salad.
  • dont hesitate to mop up the tomato juices with your country bread!

Labneh: Place a piece of muslin, or clean cotton towel over a sieve over a bowl. Scoop two heaped TBSP of greek joghurt, or Skyr, onto the muslin. Add one teaspoon of salt to the joghurt. Pull the ends of the muslin together and twist to form a ball of the joghurt. Put in the fridge and let it drain overnight. Remove the ball of joghurt(labneh) from the muslin and place in a separate bowl. Sprinkle liberally with sumac.

Save any leftover labneh in a bowl with olive oil.