Lychees

At the moment, you could make the argument that New York is tropical.  That’s an over-heated brain talking.  This may be cruel, but remember winter? I usually write about the seasonal and local this time of year, but couldn’t resist these beautiful tropical fruits. After all, Lychee are not local to us, but they are local somewhere (I heard once that there is a world outside of Brooklyn). Also, chinatown has these in stands everywhere so it’s certain that in some spots on the planet Lychee are in season as well. Chances are you will be able to find these plum sized tropical fruits in your own alternate shopping universe.

Intrigued (just a little)?  What do you really need to know?  Just like cherries, Lychee are picked when ripe and do not improve after harvest.  Choose them intact and red to pink in color.  Unlike cherries, they will keep for a couple of weeks.  If you don’t have a cool place in your kitchen, they are best stored loosely in a perforated plastic bag in the refrigerator.  The pretty pink shell color will turn brown, but the interior fruit will remain juicy and ready to eat.  Splitting the shell carefully with either your fingers or a knife, and carefully peeling it away, pale white flesh will be revealed.  Sweet and pleasantly floral, full of vitamin C and with healthy amount of potassium, lychees will sooth even the most over-heated culinary adventurer.  Don’t eat the seed and don’t worry about winter…. plenty of time for that!

Ah… Bings!

Besides choosing firm, fleshy, glossy plump fruit with stalks that are not dried-up, what do you need to know about cherries? There are two types, the sweet, eat-as-is-type that you see in the photo and sour cherries that are used for pies and other delights.  For our purposes let’s stick with the eat-now variety.

Cherries do not improve after being harvested, which means that they are ripe at harvest and fragile, an exemplar of the seasonal.   If you haven’t eaten your cherries already (they don’t last long in this house), refrigerate them loosely in a bag with holes and away from strong smelling foods.  Don’t let them languish there too long.

The cherries in this photo were both labeled as "Bing" at the supermarket.  The dark red is the classic Bing.  My favorite food geek, Harold McGee, writes that the deep red fruits contain more antioxidants, which means that they are very good for you.  The California Cherry site makes all sorts of health claims.  Naturally they have a vested interest in extolling the virtues of cherries, but who can resist believing all of it with such a lovely and delicious fruit?

What you don’t need to know, but what is fun and interesting, is that Bing cherries were named after Ah Bing, a Manchurian Chinese foreman who helped the horticulturist Seth Lewelling in the late 1800’s develop this particular variety. 

Ahhhh…. Bings!

Gazpacho Toledano or Attack of the Killer Tomato!

Here’s a recipe for some killer gazpacho (a chilled tomato soup that is not only delicious but also pure health-in-a-bowl).  This recipe is adapted from The Vegetarian Epicure Book Two, by Anna Thomas.  My copy of this book is so tired that the pages have gone from white to whole wheat.  That said-there’s nothing to tire of regarding this recipe.

This makes 6-8 servings…. enough to send a liquid ‘thank you’ to the farmer across the street.  Keep those tomatoes coming Jerry!

Equipment

• Chopping stuff (surface, knife)
• Peeling stuff (a peeler)
• Measuring stuff (spoons and cups)
• Two large bowls
• A blender or food processor

Ingredients

7-8 medium ripe tomatoes (this is a very inexact recipe, so feel free!)
2 medium cucumbers
1 green bell pepper
1 small onion
2-3 cloves of garlic
1 1/2 slices of rustic white bread (not the mushy soft stuff)
1 1/2 cups of cold water
6 Tablespoons of Olive Oil
4-5 Tablespoons of wine vinegar (I usually use red wine or sherry vinegar)
3 teaspoons of salt (or to taste)
2 teaspoons of paprika (paprika comes in hot, mild or smoky- careful with the hot variety)
A pinch of ground cumin
Freshly ground pepper to taste

Method

• Wash all your vegetables
• Cut the tomatoes into 4 pieces and put them in the bowl
• Peel the cucumbers, slice them lengthwise and scrape out the seeds.  Cut into inch pieces and put them in the bowl
• Cut the bell pepper in half and seed it.  Cut into inch-sized pieces and put them in the bowl.
• Peel and dice the onion and (you’ve got it) put into the bowl
• Peel the garlic, roughly chop it and put it into the bowl (starting to see a trend?)
• Cut the bread into cubes and add it to the bowl

Roughly mix up the vegetables and bread in the bowl and put into the blender in batches, adding a little water each time. Blend until it’s pureed (soup).  Add the puree to the second bowl as you go.

When all the vegetables, bread and garlic are pureed and in the second bowl add the oil, vinegar, seasonings and any remaining water.  Add more water if it’s too thick; also adjust the seasonings to your liking.

Chill for a couple of hours before serving.  Serve with some extra chopped vegetables and croutons if you are feeling deluxe!

Summer in a bowl!  Bon Appetite!