Sunday, October 24, 2010

Gazpacho Salad with Candies tomatoes

Candied tomatoes:

1pint cherry tomatoes
1 cup water
1 Tbs kosher salt
1Tbs crushed red pepper
Salad:
31/2 piece baguette cut into 1/2 inch cubes
2 Tbs olive oil
1 clove garlic pressed
1/4 lb haricot verts
1 English cucumber seeded and sliced
3 scallions chopped with some of the green
1 Tbs sherry vinegar
1Tbs olive oil
Salt and cracked pepper to taste

To candy the tomatoes: Bring saucepan full of salted water to boil. Prepare a ice bath and set near stove. Blanch the beans until just tender 2-3 minutes. put in ice bath. Remove and place on towel to dry. Blanch tomatoes until skin bursts quickly remove to ice bath. peal and set aside in glass bowl. Discard water. In same saucepan simmer water, sugar,salt pepper until salt and sugar dissolves.simmer 5 minutes. Stain sauce over the tomatoes and let sit 40 minutes. Prepare croutons- cut baguette into 1/2 inch cubes place in bowl and drizzle with olive oil and pressed garlic stir to cover. Place on baking sheet and bake 325 until golden brown. In medium bowl toss tomatoes, beans, cucumbers, scallions, vinegar and olive oil. Salt and cracked pepper to taste.


I had this salad on one of the San Juan Islands one summer and loved it. It was a beautiful warm day on the water and this was the perfect refreshing salad to share with good company a great Pinot Grigio. There are many ways to make this. Just think what goes into the famous Spanish cold soup and deconstruct it. This recipe which was adapted from Andy Nusser's recipe in Food and Wine years ago has these amazing candied tomatoes that I love. They have this kind of sweet hot taste that adds so much to this very simple salad. If your a bit more hungry add some shrimp or chicken and it becomes a great meal. Certain foods can really evoke memories of wonderful places and people and every time I make this I want to be back on those beautiful islands watching the orcas and imagining what life would be to live there... One day......



Enjoy!!

12 comments:

  1. Oh how delicious this looks - I've never candied tomatoes but sounds like something I'd like! I was dying to go to the San Juan Islands last summer when we were in the PacNW for a wedding but didn't make it. One of these days!

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  2. Hi Wanderer! I LOVE the San juans. Knowing how you love to travel I'm sure you will get there. Thanks for stopping by:)

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  3. Love the idea of this & don't think I've ever tasted candied tomatoes but with summer just around the corner 'down under' I'm going to give this a go for sure.

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  4. Your salad looks delicious. I love the idea of candied tomatoes.

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  5. Anna Thanks for stopping by:) I love you aussies!! The tomatoes are amazing and can be used in other dishes also. A cold pasta salad or with some burrata and toast. By the way love your site. B

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  6. That looks wonderful, and the memory makes it taste even better, I bet. I love all the things that go into gazpacho, but am often disappointed by the soup itself. I'll have to make this instead!
    :)

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  7. The tomatoes look brilliant here and I can almost taste the sherry vinegar, what a work of art this is !

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  8. Thanks for stopping by Chrissy:) The tomaotoes are yummy. I guess this is a good time of year in your neck of the woods for this salad. Happy sunshine!!!

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  9. I love this kind of a salad, and I'll truly be making this one. I can't wait to try the candied tomatoes.

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  10. Hi Michele! Great to hear from you again. This salad is so good I hope you enjoy it:)

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  11. candied tomatoes...oh my! that looks fantastic. i am putting this recipe in my "to do" file!

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  12. Thanks for stopping by Susan:) This is such a great recipe I hope you give it a try..B

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