Every produce stand around here is bountiful this time of year. Sweet corn, ripe melon, and local tomatoes lure me to the side of the road. I can’t resist their appeal.
Fresh produce is one of the joys of summer. But so, too, are swimming, paddling a kayak or canoe, and lounging over a good book. If I’m going to enjoy the great outdoors in summertime, I need to keep the living easy. I need some simple steps for preparing my lovely produce.
I need sauce.
I discovered recently a secret chefs learn the first day of cooking class: the same main dish – let’s say salmon – can undergo a sea change when you switch the sauce.
I learned this fundamental secret about sauce through trial and error, just as I’ve learned a lot to things in life, such as how to tie a figure-eight knot or how to get your child to clean up his room. (For the latter, organize the project just before a sleepover or something else the child really, really wants to do.)
My sauce discovery began with tomatoes, cucumbers and green peppers I brought home one day from market. I decided to make an easy gazpacho like this:
- Peel and roughly cut up two large tomatoes
- Peel and remove seeds from half a cucumber
- Roughly cut up a quarter of a green or sweet red pepper.
- Place all veggies in a blender.
- Add one clove garlic, a couple of ice cubes, 2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar, and tomato juice. Start with a half cup of tomato juice and add to desired consistency. I like my gazpacho on the thick side. Use whatever spices you like. Cilantro works well, or try jalapeño peppers for heat. Chill for an hour.
I was spooning up this yummy cold soup when I went a little wild (for me). I spread the gazpacho over my baked salmon. Wow. Then I took a slurp of my white Bordeaux. The tomato’s high acidity paired beautifully with the 80% Sauvignon Blanc/20% Semilion blend.
So the take-away is it’s all in the sauce. Here are three ways to sauce up your grilled or baked salmon this summer:
- Go with a mild Gazpacho sauce and white Bordeaux. An Albariño will work as well, if you want a Spanish theme.
- Substitute salsa for the tomato juice and pair with an off-dry Riesling or rosé. A little residual sugar in the wine will cool the heat.
- Try a creamy cold sauce by combining fresh dill with equal parts mayonnaise, sour cream and yogurt; a squeeze of lemon juice and a little olive oil. Pair with a Pinot Noir.
Enjoy!