Farm Stand Gazpacho with Watermelon & Corn Relish

Summer is the season of watermelon, corn and tomatoes. This is usually the time of the year that I make a ton of recipes using these items. They are just perfectly ripe, sweet and delicious during the summer months and yes you can get them 12 months a year now but it's just not the same taste. So work these three ingredients into your life the next month or so because they'll be gone before you know it. 

And luckily I have an amazing farm stand open every day just down the road from work. Sandy's Summer Stand in between Riverside and Cos Cob in Connecticut is the perfect place to grab fresh local summer produce. Go find your farmers market or local roadside stands and grab some summer delights!

And best yet- this gazpacho requires just some rough chopping and a blender. It's mindless cooking. And yet it's impressive and delicious as well. Perfect for a end of the summer dinner party- and if Charlie, a 15-month old, devours it- anyone will!! Try this one people!! 

Farm Stand Gazpacho with Watermelon & Corn Relish 

Fridge: 

1 small cucumber, peeled and roughly chopped 

1 small red pepper, deseeded and roughly chopped

4 stalks scallions, end removed and roughly chopped 

Counter:

3 large ripe tomatoes 

1/4 of medium red onion, roughly chopped 

4 garlic cloves

Pantry:

1/2 cup olive oil

2 tbs sherry vinegar

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper 

1/4 tsp cumin 

Tools:

Blender or food processor

Large bowl

Mixing spoon

Measuring cups/spoons

Cutting board

Chopping knife

Peeler 

Plastic wrap

Take all the ingredients and add them to the large bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and marinate for 2-4 hours or overnight if you prefer. 

After the ingredients have marinated, add them in batches to your blender or food processor and blend or pulse until desired consistency is reached. I like mine slightly chunky. If you prefer completely smooth- you can run it through a sieve or chinoise post processing. 

Once processed, add it to a Tupperware and refrigerate for a few hours. I like to do this part overnight to allow the flavors to really meld. Gazpacho is always best a day or two after it's made. 

Watermelon & Corn Relish

Fridge:

1 1/2 cups watermelon, diced small

Cooked and cooled corn removed from 1 ear of corn

6 leaves of basil, julienned 

Pantry:

Pinch of salt

Crack of black pepper

Tools:

Medium mixing bowl

Mixing spoon 

Cutting board

Chopping knife

Measuring cups

Add all the ingredients to the bowl and mix. Place a tablespoon or two in the center of the chilled soup for serving. 

It's a great balance of the zestiness of the gazpacho and the sweetness of the watermelon, basil and corn. 

I just love this recipe, it's so delicious and simple to make! Enjoy it! Xo

Summer farm stands are the best!! I got every ingredient (minus the seasonings) from this stand. Bonus- one trip shopping! 

Shrimp in Mango Sauce

Is it weird that I'm allergic to mangoes, yet they are my favorite fruit?!? It's true. I can eat maybe one mango (sometimes less) without breaking out into a rash. But I'd totally take the facial rash than never eat a mango again. They're amazing!! And so why not join my favorite fruit with some yummy shrimp?? Get on this train- it's heading to deliciousvile.

Yea I just said that. 

Shrimp in Mango Sauce 

Freezer:

2 1/4 cups mango- defrosted (if you prefer fresh- use it)

Fridge:

1 lb shrimp, peeled, deveined- size of your choice (this recipe makes a good amount of sauce you can use a 1.5 lbs if you prefer) 

3/4 cup heavy cream

1 medium red pepper, julienned 

1 tbs cilantro, minced 

Counter:

1/2 medium red onion, sliced thin

2 garlic cloves, minced 

1 tsp ginger, grated 

Pantry:

1/2 tbs olive oil 

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper 

Tools:

Blender 

Large nonstick sauté pan 

Mixing spoon 

Cutting board

Chopping knife

Measuring cups/spoons 

Add the mango and heavy cream to the blender and process until smooth. If you prefer chunks- process by pulsing. 

Heat the sauté pan over medium to high heat. Add the olive oil and once hot add the onions, garlic and ginger. Sauté for a few minutes while stirring occasionally. 

Add the red pepper and the mango smoothie mixture. Bring to a simmer while stirring every minute or so.

Sprinkle the shrimp with some of the salt and pepper and then add the rest of the seasoning to the sauce. Add the shrimp and cilantro to the sauce and sauté for a few minutes until they turn reddish in color and tails barely begin to curl. Turn off heat. 

I served mine with brown rice but it would go nicely over soba or rice noodles, zoodles or just solo. This is a simple and crazy easy, delicious dish! Get on it. Xo

Israeli Couscous Curry Salad

I love the flavor of curry. I know there are the curry haters out there but as a Fijian it's something we ate practically every day. There was always a curry dish at our table. So I love incorporating the spice(s) into all sorts of things now. And this Israeli couscous salad is easy and delicious! Chopping the ingredients might take a few extra minutes but it's worth it and it's a great dish to add to your arsenal for pot lucks. 

Israeli Couscous Curry Salad

Fridge:

3/4 cup carrots, sliced or julienned

1 cup zucchini, grated

1 tbs mint, minced

1 tbs italian parsley, minced

3/4 cup plain Greek yogurt 

Counter:

1 3/4 cups water 

Pantry:

1 1/2 cups Israeli couscous

1 tsp olive oil

1/2 cup raisins 

1/2 cup almonds, slivered or chopped

1 tbs curry powder

1 tsp turmeric 

1/2 tsp cumin powder 

2 tbs honey 

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper 

Tools:

Medium pot with lid

Large mixing bowl

Small mixing bowl

Whisk or fork

Wooden spoon or mixing spoon 

Cutting board

Chopping knife

Measuring cups/spoons 

Heat the pot over medium to high heat and add the olive oil. Add the couscous to the pot and brown slightly for a few minutes. Pour the water over the couscous and turn the stovetop to low and put the lid on. Gently simmer until water is absorbed and couscous is cooked. It takes between 8 and 10 minutes. Once cooked, remove lid and mix with a fork to allow steam to release and couscous to cool. 

In the small mixing bowl add the Greek yogurt, honey, curry powder, cumin, turmeric, salt, pepper, italian parsley and mint. Mix well. 

In the large mixing bowl add the cooled couscous, the carrots, raisins, almonds and zucchini. Mix well and then pour the dressing over the top. Mix the salad well. 

You can serve this now at room temperature or you can refrigerate and serve it chilled. I like them both ways but for an outdoor party- chilled works better.

This will keep for 5 days in the fridge. Enjoy it!  

Blueberry Scones with Lemon Glaze

As a kid I always loved cooking and baking. Scones are one of the first recipes I made solo- no parents involved. I used to make to make them for my younger sister and mother and we would pretend we were having high tea with the queen. I was around seven or eight at the time and I found my recipe on the side of a bag of flour. I feel like I made this recipe so often that I no longer needed to use the bag of flour for reference. 

And although my recipe has changed since then- every single time I make scones- the smell of the dough and the taste of the scones just brings me back to that little white plastic table I had afternoon tea on. It's crazy the memories that food can invoke! 

This recipe is delicious and might sound tedious on paper but it's totally easy and well worth the effort. 

Blueberry Scones with Lemon Glaze 

Scones

Fridge:

1/2 pint blueberries, rinsed and dried 

1 stick of butter (8 tbs), cold 

1/2 cup milk

1/4 cup sour cream 

Counter:

1 tsp lemon zest

1 tsp lemon juice

Pantry:

1 3/4 flour plus extra for kneading 

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt 

1/3 cup sugar plus 1 tsp extra for sprinkling on top before baking

Glaze:

1 1/2 tbs lemon juice

1/2 cup confectioners sugar 

Tools:

Large baking tray

Two large mixing bowls

Whisk

Mixing spatula 

Box grater

Small mixing bowl

Fork or small whisk 

Rolling pin (wine bottle if you don't have one)

Pastry brush 

Plastic wrap 

I don't usually preheat my oven until I put my scone dough into the freezer to chill for 5 minutes but if you want to be on top of it: preheat oven to 400. 

Cut off 1/2 a tablespoon of butter and place in a small microwaveable bowl. Place the remaining butter into the freezer. 

While butter is chilling, take your dry ingredients and mix together. Add flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar to one of the large mixing bowls. 

In the other large mixing add the milk, sour cream, lemon juice and lemon zest. Whisk well, making sure to break up the sour cream. 

The butter should have been in the fridge for about 5 minutes at this point- which is fine. Using your box grater on the large grate side- grate your cold butter into the dry ingredient bowl. I just place my grater into the dry ingredients and grate away. 

Using your (clean) hands mix the butter into the dry ingredients. It should become like large grainy sand almost. It does not have to be completely incorporated and you definitely do not want to mix so much that the warmth of your hands melts the butter. Just a minute of mixing is fine. 

Now make a well in the flour/butter bowl and pour the wet ingredients in it. Using your mixing spatula- mix together well. It should form a fairly wet dough. 

Sprinkle your counter top with a little flour and pour your scone dough on it. Knead and fold the dough (sprinkling with a tiny bit of flour if it becomes super sticky) 5 to 7 times. Enough to make the dough come together but do not over knead it- that leads to a dry, tough scone. Form the dough into a flat square and wrap with plastic wrap. Place the dough in the freezer for 10 minutes. Just a little rest and chill time. 

At this point I preheat my oven to 400. And get my baking tray out. You do not have to grease it but I do use a silicone mat because it's there and I don't have to scrub baked blueberry juice off my tray. But it's totally not necessary. Throw down some parchment paper if you don't want to deal with cleaning the tray though- the blueberries do bleed.

Once dough has rested in the freezer for 10 minutes, remove and place on a floured counter top. Using your rolling pin- roll the dough into a rectangle shape. Mine came to be about 1 3/4feet by 8 inches or so. It doesn't have to be exact or precise by any means. Just a rectangle where the dough is about 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch thick still. 

Pour your blueberries on top of the dough and spread across evenly. I do my best to not squish the berries because I like to bite into whole blueberries and it also dyes the dough a bluish tint. Now fold the dough, almost like you're folding a letter- the long way. Here's a photo of mine after folding: 

Mine folded 3 times. You want to keep it wide because this is size of your scone- unless you prefer smaller ones- then roll in half again. 

Take your rolling pin and gently- with almost no pressure roll over the entire length of the dough- just to settle the blueberries and dough into place. 

Now cut the dough diagonally at one end- to form a triangle. The ends are always a little scraggly- those are my taste testers once baked. But continue cutting diagonally one way, then the other to make triangle scones all the way across. Place the scones on the tray- a few inches apart. 

Now melt your remaining 1/2 tbs of butter in the microwave for 15 seconds. Using the pastry brush- brush the tops of the scones with melted butter. And if you feel like sprinkling with a tsp of sugar- go for it! Otherwise place in the oven for 18-22 minutes or until edges are golden. Remove and cool for 5 minutes and then brush with the glaze if you're using it. 

To make the glaze: just add the lemon juice and the confectioners sugar to a bowl and whisk until sugar dissolves. I like to glaze the scones while still warm because I like it to melt into the scone. You might prefer to wait until it's cooled completely so you can see the glaze on top. It's up to you! I have no patience and want to eat them warm- so that's what I did. 

This are so dang good! Definitely give it a whirl! Xo

Charlie also agrees: 

Rainy Day Bolognese Sauce

Rainy Days, even in the summer, call for comfort food. Pasta, of course, is the first thing that comes to my mind. And Bolognese sauce is very easy and delicious. And although it takes time, you can make a giant batch and freeze half for another meal. Best yet- it gains flavor every day of leftovers. Bolognese is a great comfort food- whether you have it over pasta, zucchini noodles, throw it on a hoagie for a sloppy joe- it's an all around feel good meal. 

Bolognese Sauce 

Fridge:

1 1/4 lbs ground beef (85/15) 

1 lb of meatloaf mix- usually a mix of veal, pork and beef

1 tbs italian parsley, minced 

2 cups mushrooms, sliced- I used baby bellas- but use what you prefer 

Counter:

5 garlic cloves, minced

2 cups chopped vine ripe tomatoes (appreoximately- more or less is fine) 

1 large yellow onion, minced 

6 small basil leaves, minced

1/4 cup red wine (optional) 

Pantry:

2 1/2 tsp dried oregano (fresh is fine also)

2 tbs tomato paste 

2 tsp salt 

1 tsp black pepper

Couple small pinches red chili flakes (optional) 

1- 28 oz can whole peeled tomatoes (I like San Marzano) 

1- 26.5 oz strained (puréed) tomatoes- I use Pomí brand- it's in a box 

1- 26.5 oz chopped tomatoes- also Pomí brand. (You can sub 2 cups of fresh tomatoes for this) 

2 tbs olive oil 

Tools:

Massive oven proof pot with lid- Le Crueset Dutch oven works great 

Cutting board 

Chopping knife

Measuring cups/spoons 

Wooden spoon 

Potato masher 

Preheat oven to 300. 

Heat the olive oil in the Dutch oven over medium to high heat. Once oil it hot add the onions and allow to cook for a few minutes. Then add the garlic and cook for a minute or two. Add the tomato paste and cook for a minute, while stirring. Next add the mushrooms. The kids don't like mushrooms so I really minced mine up- to add the flavor but without them saying, "what is that?". Cook the mushrooms for a minute or two. 

At this point, add the ground meats and sprinkle with a large pinch of salt. Cook for about 5 minutes or so while stirring a couple times. The meat doesn't have to be completely cooked through at this point. Add the red wine, if using, and cook for a minute or two, stirring occasionally. 

Now add the whole peeled tomaotes, juice and everything. Use your potato masher and mush the tomatoes up. Then add the puréed tomatoes, the diced tomatoes and the freshly chopped tomatoes. Bring to a simmer. 

Now it's time to add your seasonings: basil, oregano, italian parsley, red chili flakes (if using), 2 tsp salt and 1 tsp black pepper. 

Mix everything together and bring to a simmer. Place the lid on top and place the Dutch oven pot into the oven. 

Bake for at least 2 hours. I baked mine for 3 just because I was home. I stirred it about 3 times during this time. So once an hour is good. 

Serve it however you want to enjoy it. I have now eaten two servings of pasta and meat sauce. Oh yea!! Its some good stuff. Xo

Princess Alllie enjoying her penne Bolognese: