Farm Market Cherry Gazpacho
June is cherry season. The market is full of cherries in all different varieties - sweet cherries, tart cherries, and my personal favorite, Rainer cherries. These yellowish-pink cherries are very sweet, with a thicker skin and a yellow flesh. They are a favorite snack among birds, which is why they are so special and hard to find. Grab them whenever you see them! You won’t be disappointed.Cherries are relatively high in dietary fiber and vitamin C, although their high natural sugar content is one thing that people tend to remember when considering their nutritional value. But they are something you can feel good about treating yourself to. Westmoreland Berry Farm has had all three varieties available in the last few weeks and will continue to stock their tables with this delicious fruit as long as the season will allow.
Now’s really the time to stock up - put some in the freezer for the cold winter months when you are craving a delicious cherry pie. Make some cherry jam or chutney. Don’t forget to get a few pints for snacking - try them with Blue Ridge Dairy Co. yogurt and Oat My Goodness granola for an amazing treat! Or, you can make this unique recipe for cherry gazpacho- a cool (no pun intended) way to take cherries to a new, savory level. Make sure you make the soup in advance - allowing the flavors to soak together makes this an amazing amalgamation of farm market veggies at their peak freshness.
Farm Market Cherry Gazpacho
INGREDIENTS
- 1 ½ pounds various Heirloom Tomatoes (Mock’s Greenhouse)
- 1 lb. Sweet Cherries* (Westmoreland Berry Farm)
- 1 Cucumber, peeled, seeded and small diced (Toigo Orchards)
- 1 Yellow Bell Pepper, small diced (Twin Springs Fruit Farm)
- 1 Red Onion, small diced (Westmoreland Produce)
- 1 small jalapeno, seeded and minced (keep some of the seeds for a spicy dish)
- 3 medium Garlic Cloves, minced (Two Acre Farm)
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 limes, juiced
- 3 tsp. Balsamic Vinegar
- 2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
- ½ tsp. ground Cumin
- 1 tsp. kosher salt
- ¼ tsp. ground black pepper
- 6 Basil leaves, chiffonade** (Spiral Path Farm)
*Use all but 12 cherries. Dice them very small and set aside for garnish.**Chiffonade is a method of layering the leaves and cutting the basil into small ribbons.DIRECTIONSFill a large pot halfway full of water, set over high heat and bring to a boil.
Using a pairing knife, make an “X” on the bottom of the tomatoes. Drop the tomatoes into the boiling water for about 30 seconds, remove them and transfer to an ice bath (a bowl of water and ice) and allow to cool until able to handle, approximately 1 minute. Remove and pat dry. Peel, core and seed the tomatoes. When seeding the tomatoes, place the seeds and pulp into a fine mesh strainer set over a bowl in order to catch the juice. Press as much of the juice through as possible and then add enough bottled tomato juice to bring the total to 1½ cups.Place the tomatoes and juice into a large mixing bowl. Add the cherries, cucumber, bell pepper, red onion, jalapeño, garlic cloves, olive oil, lime juice, balsamic vinegar, Worcestershire, cumin, salt and pepper and stir to combine.Transfer 1½ cups of the mixture to a blender and puree for 15 to 20 seconds on high speed. Return the pureed mixture to the bowl and stir to combine with other veggies. Cover and chill for at least 2 hours and up to overnight. Serve with chiffonade of basil and chopped cherries.