It is definitely summer. My mint is bursting out of the pot, I have 20 pounds of blueberries in the freezer, and I’ve started to fantasize about one of my favorite things in summer: gazpacho. From early August to the last gasp of tomato season, I keep a big bowl of it in my refrigerator. Nothing is better or healthier on a hot summer day.
For years, I’ve used the same recipe, giving everything a fine chop. Now I’ve found out that I’m hopelessly out of step with Spanish cooks. According to an article in the LA Times last week, the goal these days is to get this cold soup as smooth as possible. If you are interested, the article is worth reading.
Real gazpacho — that is, tomato gazpacho made from the traditional ingredients used in Seville, capital of the cold soup — is one of those simple, perfect dishes in which the whole is much greater than the sum of its parts. It has deep tomato flavor, sure, but never uses canned juice: Gazpacho demands only the ripest tomatoes. But underneath that, it’s got body and bite, which come from the bread and garlic that are its base. It’s got a little zing — that’s from Sherry vinegar. And it’s got soul, which comes from good, fruity olive oil. Get the balance right, and you’ve got a dream of a summer soup.
The NY Times has yet another article on Portland in the Sunday Travel Section called Beyond Tea and Crumpets in Portland Oregon.
And that’s why I came to Portland: to connect with this moist metropolis through my favorite brew. Building on the success of established Portland tea businesses like Tazo Tea, Stash and Oregon Chai, the city is host to one of the most distinctive tea scenes in the country. Locally owned tea spots have sprouted throughout the city, supported by an epicurean population that travels miles for the perfect cup. From mushroom tea to tea paired with sake, these citizens of the Pacific Rim are thinking way beyond tea and crumpets. And no tea bags allowed.
I had no idea tea was so big here.
PORTLAND is also a magnet for those seeking serious knowledge about Asian teas and traditions. In the summer, local Japanese tea association members demonstrate the “way of tea” in the Japanese Garden in Portland. Every month, the Portland Wakai Tea Association is host to guests in an authentic Japanese teahouse on the wooded grounds of a private residence. Throughout the year, the Tower of Cosmic Reflections teahouse, in Portland’s Classical Chinese Garden, provides a tranquil Ming Dynasty-style sanctuary where tea lovers from all over the United States come to channel the Middle Kingdom’s venerable tea traditions.
You can read the entire article by clicking here. Free membership required.
I’ve written a site them which will detect when someone is browsing on an IPhone, and display the page in a modified way for easy browsing. Still a work in progress, but you should be able to get all the information you do with a regular browser.
Stay cool!
“And that’s why I came to Portland: to connect with this moist metropolis through my favorite brew.”
“Moist metropolis?” No she di-ent! Why? That’s just…icky.
I kind of remember some mushroom tea from back in college. A few sips and solid objects started to melt, the sky began turning paisley colors and you thought you might die. Tasted nasty too.
Earl Grey will do nicely, ta.
–mcz