Peachlove: Peach and Basil Gazpacho
It’s Peachlove month with the Love Bloghop! I am happy to be back hosting again with this group of awesome bloggers. Each month they select the “love” ingredient to be used as a main part in the recipe.
I was thrilled to see that August was dedicated to the Peach since I’ve moved from the “orange” state to the “peach” state! While I’ve purchased some Georgia peaches at Trader Joes, I’ve been looking forward to finding some fresh markets to visit. It’s been on my long to do list and with Gina’s visit, I made it a definite plan to search for a market.
Waking up Gina bright and early, fueled by morning espresso and GPS set to explore, we headed out. Georgia is so unlike Florida, which is mapped grid-like, East, West, North, South, just head to the ocean! I could always find my way around easily. Here roads curve, highways go around the perimeter, straight through, diagonal and the best was realizing there is just not one street named Peachtree but several, including a Peachtree City! And it’s not just with Peachtree, Paces Ferry can be Road, Way, East….omg…GPS required!
We found the closest market and I immediately spotted the peach stand. Content to see that my long anticipated search for a market selling peaches was satisfied, we first stopped to purchase homemade dog treats from Lose a Finger. Catchy name, by the way, they make slow smoked briskett, pork or turkey treats for dogs. All natural and healthy, they offer online ordering too. I got the briskett for my pups and they did truly love ’em!
From there we skipped the other stands to go directly to the long-awaited peaches! I greeted Peach guy with my biggest, happiest smile….”Good morning! So, you have Georgia grown peaches?”
“Oh, no, ma’am, we are from South Carolina”, said the very proud Peach guy. The smile has now left my face…
“Yes, in fact” he continues, “South Carolina grows more peaches than Georgia and ours are sweeter.” (oh gee, do I now need to move to south Carolina?? no, I cannot move again!!)
“Really” I say as I’m sniffing the peaches and so not getting that ripe distinct peach aroma I was expecting. In fact I could go home and open my bottle of peach schnapps and get a better peachy whiff. So we parted ways, thanking Peach guy for his time. Back home I did a quick search to learn that indeed there is some truth to his peaches being sweeter along with a long history of serious debate between Georgia vs. South Carolina peaches!
I guess there will be more investigating on my part in the pursuit of best tasting peaches, but in the meantime, we headed back to Trader Joes, picked up some organic Georgia grown peaches and vola…Peach Gazpacho!
The summer here is definitely hot and it seems like the heat has hit everyone this year. A cool, crisp gazpacho is perfect for a light meal and so very refreshing. I’ve picked up a few herb plants I’m carefully tending in baskets on my steps so I chopped in some basil and mint. I’ve posted my recipe below, but honestly I’ve made gazpacho is so many different ways easily creating them with what I have on hand and adjusting the taste. The quantities too can vary so much as to what’s on hand and personal preference.
Serving the gazpacho in margarita glasses is fun and different. Small diced avocado, pistachio nuts or coconut can be placed on top for a special touch and presentation. A grilled panini is a nice compliment for a wonderful light lunch or dinner.
Peach and Basil Gazpacho
1 1/2 pounds organic peaches, peeled and pitted
1 cucumber, peeled and seeded, roughly chopped
1 yellow pepper, stem and seeds discarded, roughly chopped
2 green onions. roughly sliced
1 jalapeno, stem and seeds discarded
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
2 celery stalks with leaves, roughly chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tomato, juiced *
3 limes juiced * total of about 3/4 cup freshly squeezed tomato and lime juice combined
2 tablespoons champagne vinegar or white
Approximately 10-15 basil leaves
Approximately 10 mint leaves
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Hot sauce, optional
Blend all in food processor or blender until desired consistency. I have blended the ingredients in portions so that they remain chunky and not overly processed. I like the feel of a bite in my gazpacho. The tomato and lime juice were made through my juicer, but you could also use a good quality tomato juice for the liquid. It’s best to make this several hours ahead of time to allow the flavors to marry. Serves about 6 for an appetizer or side.
Note: I use a veggie peeler for my peaches. If they are firm, this works nicely.
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August is #peachlove month! Please join in on the #peachlove fun by linking up any peach recipe from the month of August 2012.
I joined with the following lovely hosts this month for #peachlove!
Becky @ Baking and Cooking, A Tale of Two Loves Betsy @ Java Cupcake T.R. @ No One Likes Crumbley Cookies Jessica @ Oh Cake Shelia @ Pippi’s in the Kitchen Again Helena @ Rico sin Azúcar Linda @ Savoring Every Bite Liz @ That Skinny Chick Can Bake!!! EA Stewart @ The Spicy RD Susan @ The Wimpy Vegetarian Serena @ Teaspoon of Spice Serena
Don’t forget to link back to this post, so that your readers know to come stop by the #peachlove event! The twitter hashtag is #peachlove 🙂
spicegirlfla
I love being in the kitchen. Early mornings, soft music, a hot espresso. Easing into the preparation of delicious meals. Glancing through cookbooks, gathering inspiration and planning my day. I look forward to the cycles of the seasons, the pleasures of tasting and savoring and sharing this with those dear to me. Weekends are special to me as my week days are often rushed, but still I create the ambiance, light the candles, set the table and uncork the wine.
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49 Comments
Helena / Rico sin Azúcar
Ha ha ha, a nice variation of the classic veggy gazpacho!
Have a wonderful #peachlove month, Linda 😉
spicegirlfla
Thanks Helena! I’m looking forward to seeing all the peach recipes this month!
CJ at Food Stories
Just stopping by to say Happy Saturday 🙂
Serena
Simply YUM! Another thing for me to eat while I don’t want to turn on my oven! Love the addition of ginger…bet it leads to a nice sparkle!
spicegirlfla
My son has been adding in ginger to his juices so I thought I’d give it a try and it definitely did add a nice “sparkle” as you say!
Choc Chip Uru
Im loving your gazpacho my friend, it has such an awesome flavour combo 😀
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
spicegirlfla
Thank you my friend!
Laura @ Sprint 2 the Table
Hooray for GA peaches! I love peach gazpacho – especially with that jalapeno heat.
Sorry about all of out Peach streets. You do get used to it eventually! 🙂
spicegirlfla
Hi Laura,
Sometimes I think I should just turn off the GPS as I’d probably force myself more to figure my way around 🙂 But you are right, eventually, I guess I will know!
Liz
I live in northwest MT, i.e. the Pacific Northwest and feel about the heat as apparently you do about the cold 🙂 !!
There is a thing similar to your peach dilemma her re cherries and huckleberries…huckleberries being wild.
I just bought a 20 lb. lug of WA sweet cherries – gasp! – mainly as they were pesticide free and the local orchards are mostly spraying.
Don’t know that I’ll be making gazpacho with cherries or huckleberries but intrigued to see the peach version and also happy to see you back in the cooking “saddle” :)!
Cheers.
spicegirlfla
Hi Liz,
I’m glad to be back! 20 lbs of cherries! oh my, what will you do with that! Actually I find that to be a wonderful “problem” to have! I could imagine baking everything from pies to muffins to scones as well as gorgeous sauces! I’m not familiar with huckleberries though I’d be researching recipes if they were growing wild around where I lived.
Thanks for dropping by, great to “see” you again!
Sharyn Dimmick
Gazpacho is not my favorite, Linda, but I have not yet made peach gazpacho — it might not be long now. It is cool and foggy here in California and we just made tomato tart and apple pie with the first Gravensteins of the year. We are contemplating turkey and noodles for dinner…. Glad to see the peach love — I’ll see if I can’t come up with something new.
spicegirlfla
If you’re a salsa fan, you might like this peach version. Whenever I make gazpacho I think of all the chopping for a salsa, just has more liquid in this. I hope you do come up with some peach love, would love to see what you make!
cecilia g
You probably broke poor peach guys heart when you took your smile away. I love peaches but have never had a gazpacho.. time i got adventurous i think! c
spicegirlfla
Yes, Cecilia, I think you should try a little gazpacho! If my son ate it, I bet those teens will too 🙂
Becky
I just made Tomato Gazpacho last week, but now I want to make your Peach Gazpacho. It looks amazing. Never thought of using peaches, but our weather in Chicago Land has been crazy hot, so your Peach gazpacho would be so refreshing. Sending #peachlove your way!
spicegirlfla
Hi Becky,
My niece is up in Chicago and my sister in Ohio so I know they’ve both been having a hot summer too! Lots of #peachlove to you too!
Jed Gray (sportsglutton)
Great little recipe Linda and perfect for peach season!
Fun story about the SC peaches, because I was just having a conversation with the wife yesterday about why ever state in the country believes they have the best peaches….which is seldom true. I mean seriously, we’ve been to just about every state and those that grow peaches seem to always say “our are the best.” Why? Why is it such a big deal that you have to have the best peaches? I never hear people say that they have the best zucchini. 🙂
spicegirlfla
So true, I’ve not heard of a state that boasts the biggest and best zucchini 🙂 lol ! I was even more surprised when I googled it and found so much debate written about who had the best peaches! Honestly, I don’t care who grows them, I just want to find perfectly ripe peaches, that drips when you bite it and when you bring the basket home it fills your kitchen with it’s beautiful peach aroma!
david
This looks really refreshing! I weonder if you could adapt it a bit to make dessert?
spicegirlfla
Hmmm….you have me thinking there! I’ve made the prosecco and berry soup which I’ve served as a dessert. Possibly sweeten it up a bit more and offer a shot of Sambucca or even the Peach Schapps as a floater on it to make it like an after dinner treat 🙂
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Amy @ ElephantEats
Great idea! I never remember to make salsa with fruit. This sounds like such a good combo.
spicegirlfla
Making this into a salsa, with no extra liquid added, would be perfect too!
ea-the spicy rd
Love your idea to make peach gazpacho-It looks fabulous! And, fun story about getting mixed up in Georgia. When i went to college in Dallas {first time living outside of San Diego}, I had the hardest time getting around without a beach on the West and the mountains on the East 🙂
spicegirlfla
I agree it’s easier when you have major landmarks to look for!
Kristy
I had no idea there was a peach debate between SC and GA. Huh. Learn something new every day. And I’ll be anxious to hear about what you discover on your quest to find out more. 🙂 This gazpacho looks fantastic. I do love a good gazpacho, but have never made one myself. I should give it a try sometime. 🙂
spicegirlfla
It’s soo easy Kristy, sometimes I’ll make one if I see I have lots of veggies to use up quickly. And as I mentioned in another comment, kinda like a salsa. Yes, the peach search will continue, at least until the end of the season!
Maureen @ Orgasmic Chef
This looks amazing and I want some soon!
Betsy @JavaCupcake
I love how you served this in the margarita glass!!! Great idea!!
Pleasure bloghopping with you!
<3 Betsy
spicegirlfla
Thanks Betsy, glad to be bloghopping again!
Kitchen Belleicious
it screams summertime- oh and the south of course. no doubt everyone in my family would love this! What a great combination of fresh flavors
spicegirlfla
Thank you Jessica!
Hotly Spiced
I love the look of this Linda. So refreshing. Love how you were able to source organic peaches. I keep hearing how hot it is in the USA this summer. Our last summer was the coldest on record. We’re hoping for a much warmer one this year xx
spicegirlfla
Oooh…I certainly hope you have a warmer summer this year. I really don’t mind the hot weather, I’m definitely not a fan of cold, winter weather!
Juliana
Such an interesting gazpacho…peach and basil…I love the look and the ingredients in it…yes…perfect for the warm weather 🙂
Thanks for sharing this recipe Linda and hope you have a nice week ahead!
Geni
I’ve never considered peach gazpacho before Linda! This looks so refreshing and unique. Glad you stuck to your guns and got the local sweet peaches, even if SC does offer some very stiff competition. 😉 How fun to be exploring with Gina!
spicegirlfla
Hi Geni,
Honestly I just want a peach that smells and tastes like a peach! Those are so hard to find these days!
Ambrosiana
Very creative and super refreshing dish!
ChgoJohn
Where do you come up with this stuff, Linda? Polenta fries, peach gazpacho, where will it all end? 🙂
This is such a creative idea and it looks so refreshing! Adding the basil was a nice touch, too. The surprise factor alone, when serving it to friends, would be worth the search to find the best peach. South Carolina? Really?
Courtney
I absolutely LOVE this recipe, Lisa. It just sounds plain fantastic. And so interesting about SC vs GA…
Kelly @ Inspired Edibles
What a fabulous idea Linda! Peach and basil sounds like a glorious combination for this chilled soup. I too enjoy mixing up the traditional gazpacho and recently posted a Greek version (similar elements to Greek salad). Love the service in the margarita glasses – how fun – and your new site picture is great. I take it that’s the door of your new home 🙂 – what a wonderful new chapter in your life.
spicegirlfla
Ooh, I like your idea of a Greek gazpacho. I need to check that out as I love those flavors. Yep, that’s my new front door!
Tandy
What a lovely gezpacho, I shall have to wait for peach season though 🙂
Purely.. Kay
If I wasn’t allergic to peaches, I’d be all over this Linda. I mean seriously.. how delicious does this look. Love it
spicegirlfla
Oh Kay, allergic to peaches? I’ve not heard of that. Guess you could switch out the fruit, just like a salsa there are so many combinations.
The Wimpy Vegetarian
I love gazpacho! What a wonderful way to use peaches!!!
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Liz
Oh, boy…do I love gazpacho AND peaches!!! This is a must make recipe before peach season is over. Sending you loads of #PeachLove!!!!