One of the joys of the September vegetable garden is the glut of tomatoes. Large, small, red, yellow and green, they hang from the plants even as those vines succumb to cooling temperatures and blight. Our meals at this time of year tend to be tomato celebrations since we know that we won’t taste this home-grown fruit again until next summer.
Gazpacho is a favorite meal in tomato season and since our crop of cucumbers was huge we were able to enjoy several versions of this cold soup. Last night it was a golden version made with Virginia Sweets and Yellow Boy tomatoes, roasted red peppers and County Fair cukes. The garnish was chopped cucumbers, garlic croutons, and freshly sautéed Zephyr summer squash. The warmth and creamy tenderness of the squash was a perfect contrast with the cold soup and crunchy croutons.
As the Guy Clark song goes, “Only two things that money can’t buy…and that’s true love and homegrown tomatoes.”
The basic ingredients for this soup are tomatoes and cucumbers. I add roasted garlic, roasted and skinned peppers (red or orange) and vinegar.
These golden tomatoes were juicy enough that I didn't need to add any additional tomato juice or water, as some recipes call for. I seasoned with chopped chives, fresh basil and freshly ground pepper.
