[Week 9] Beet Gazpacho with Samin's Irresistible Herb Salsa

Hello Farm Share Friends:

Last week at the height of the heatwave, my friend Erinn, who has been regularly sending farm share recipes my way, asked if I liked the idea of an “all-chilled-soups post.”

Having no motivation to turn on the oven and little to do much more than chop up some vegetables and set them aside hummus, the idea sounded brilliant. Yes, please, Erinn!

I made one of the recipes she sent me immediately, a beet gazpacho, and I drizzled it with a favorite soup topper: Samin Nosrat’s herb salsa from Salt Fat Acid Heat, a mix of shallots, lime, cilantro, scallions, jalapeños, and olive oil.

The soup + salsa is pictured above, and if you are confused by the green-hued purée, let me explain: I used Chioggia beets, which I had received in the farm share several weeks ago. Chioggia beets, also known as candystripe beets, are striking when sliced and served raw, but their hue becomes more muted when they are cooked — in the blender, the mixture looked like a potato purée.

Fresh dill and cucumbers brightened it up, and Samin’s salsa added an element of heat and acidity as well as that textural variety I crave in puréed soups.

I always make the salsa to serve with Samin’s five-ingredient corn soup, which can be served hot or cold, but I think it would be excellent with a number of the other chilled soup recipes included below. You’ll want a spoonful in every bite.

Below you will find 10 chilled soup recipes + a Via Carota salad recipe I had made over the weekend, which put to good use a bunch of lingering radishes and scallions from previous weeks’ farm shares. If you have a favorite gazpacho, vichyssoise, or other chilled soup recipe to share, please do!

Week 9 Vegetables

This week we’re receiving carrots, which I’ll likely peel, slice, and set out with hummus for the family — they’re so sweet and fresh tasting on their own, it’s hard not to eat the first bundle of the season raw. Be sure to trim the greens from the roots before storing them.

Room temp storage: cantaloupe, tomatoes, scallions (in water), basil (in water), potatoes

Fridge storage: lettuce, corn, eggplant, carrots, peppers

Question for you: I’ve read mixed things about storing eggplant and peppers — in the fridge, out of the fridge —