Cucumber Celery Gazpacho With Radishes and Thyme Onion Confit
You can serve this gazpacho at room temperature or chill before serving. Enjoy. If you're short on time, money and want something a little healthy then try making this dish. You won't be disappointed. It's perfect for pot lucks, bbqs or impromptu dinner parties. Plus you can use the extra cucumber for an at home spa treatment. Gazpacho is an ancient cold based soup- salad like mixture. Initially, it was known as the poor man's soup. Coming from the moz-arab word caspa, meaning to break apart or residue; its origins are said to be traced back to the Arabs who originally made the soup with bread, olive oil, water and garlic. It was later introduced to Spain where it was quickly embraced into its' culinary lineage. Tomatoes, which initially were used as a decorative plant for fear that they were poisonous, were added in the 1700's along with vinegar. Thus creating the well known Andalusian - Spanish version of gazpacho. But gazpacho has continued to evolve and has adapted to include various different ingredients. Cucumbers, notoriously known as a beauty remedy for your eyes also offer many health benefits. Because of their high potassium, silicon and sulphur content they regulate diabetes, blood pressure and promote hair and nail growth. They also fight against teeth, gum, kidney, urinary, liver and pancreatic disease.
Total Steps
15
Ingredients
9
Tools Needed
7
Ingredients
- 2 pieces cucumber
- 4 pieces celery
- 1/2 piece vidalia onion
- 1/4 cup cilantro
- 4 pieces radish
- 1/2 piece lemon
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 sprig thyme
- to taste salt and pepper(optional)
Instructions
Step 1
Dice the Vidalia onion.
Step 2
Heat 2 teaspoons of olive oil in a pan on the stovetop over medium-high heat.
Step 3
Add the diced Vidalia onion and the leaves from the sprig of thyme to the pan.
Step 4
Sauté until the onions are transparent.
Step 5
Remove the pan from heat and set aside (this is the Thyme Onion Confit).
Step 6
Chop the cucumbers into 2-3 inch chunks. If a pale green color is desired, peel the cucumbers before chopping.
Step 7
Dice the celery into 1/2 inch pieces.
Step 8
Chop the cilantro.
Step 9
Add the chopped cucumber, diced celery, and chopped cilantro into a blender.
Step 10
Squeeze the juice from half of the lemon into the blender.
Step 11
Add salt and pepper to taste.
Step 12
Blend the mixture until pureed.
Step 13
If the mixture is too thick, add some water to help it blend until smooth.
Step 14
Pour the pureed cucumber-celery mixture into a serving dish.
Step 15
Garnish the gazpacho with the diced radishes, the prepared thyme onion confit, and the lemon zest.