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The Farmers Market: Gazpacho

Every Friday Betty carries a recipe from someone in town, inspired by what's fresh at the Hingham Farmers Market. This week we give you a break from an extensive menu.  Frankly we're a little tired of cooking so much - when the kids are home it feels like there are 7 meals to make every day. That's why we love this week's ideas- easy, more chopping than cooking, and perfect for a dinner outside with lots of wine. Sounds like a good plan.

This week, Signe turned to Katia Orth for inspiration- and the recipes flew in from around the globe. Katia's mother Riitta is Finnish {which sent Betty's spell check into a tizzy}  Riitta sent the gazpacho recipe.  Her father is French and serves mussels in the summer at their home in the South of France. {suddenly Betty's little "farm-in-Vermont" fantasy is sounding a little lackluster...} On to the recipes:

Simple Gazpacho  from: Katia by way of Riitta

2 pounds of tomatoes, skinned and seeds squeezed out
2 onions
3 cloves of garlic
1/2 cucumber
1 red bell pepper
3 t extra virgin olive oil
2 T white wine vinegar
1 cube of vegetable bouillon

Chop all the ingredients roughly, put in the blender briefly, chill.

Want the Whole Menu?

Katia's mussels:  4 stems of leeks, the soft green part chopped as finely as possible, the rest chopped fine.  2 big cloves of garlic- sliced, about a stick of butter, 2 1/2 pounds of mussels washed and scrubbed, 1/3 C of Marsala wine, 1/3 C of cream.  Melt the butter in a large pot [with a lid], add the leek and garlic plus a big pinch of sea salt and pepper.  Sautee on low for about 5 minutes.  Add the wine and stir for about 30 seconds or until you can't smell the wine.  Add the cream and bring to a boil.  Add the mussels, put the top on the pot and cook 5 minutes or until the shells open.

Wine. This week it's all about the wine, Betty.  With the gazpacho try Ciacci Piccolomini d'Aragona, a light red from Tuscany [don't mind if we do!].  With the mussels, how about a Sauvignon Blanc from the Loire Valley? Serve Henri Bourgeoise "Petit Bourgeois", lots of good bread and Mahon cheese. [We like to sound like we know what we're talking about- but Betty gets her recommendations directly from Signe, The Barecove Wine Annex, The Fruit Center, and Bloomy Rind. Whew, they can be responsible for your cholesterol this week.]