First, I have to apologize for the crazy look of this post! Apparently Blogger’s editing features aren’t working correctly tonight, and it’s decided that everything I type needs to be underlined. It also keeps changing fonts on me, and nothing I can think of seems to fix it. Sigh.

I don’t know about you, but when summer rolls around I never feel like spending a ton of time in a hot, steamy kitchen. However, San Diego summers roll around, they throw that tricky May Gray/June Gloom wrench into the equation and trick you into thinking you want something warm and comforting. This year in particular, the weirdly chilly and overcast weather has extended it’s way into July – that is, when it’s not busy morphing into a week long heat wave. All this crazy and unpredictable weather has resulted in an equally unpredictable roster of dishes turning out of my kitchen.

For me, summer cooking means simple, comforting, and satisfying. Personally, that means soup and sandwiches.  When I was growing up, Sundays usually meant soup and sandwiches for dinner. We’d switch out between BLT’s and grilled cheese, with Campbells to go along side. For this month’s segment, I decided to up the ante a little, and throw a little variety into the mix. I started off with a classic cold soup – Heirloom Tomato Gazpacho. Talk about summer in a bowl! To go along side it I stuck with the Spanish theme, and used some nutty Manchengo cheese along with some fresh roasted figs in a pressed grilled cheese sandwich. As always, all the amazing summer produce I used for the segment came from my friends down at Specialty Produce. If you still haven’t signed up for their Farmers Market Bag program, this is really the time to do it. Tons of juicy stone fruits, melons, berries and tomatoes are at their peak in the summer, and the bags are chock full of goodies each week!

For those chilly days when you want something warm but still summery, I went with a Thai inspired corn chowder. The flavors of lemon grass, ginger, red chili flakes, cilantro and sweet corn meld beautifully into a fresh and brightly flavored soup. I took a little help with the “sandwich” here, which is actually a stuffed pita pocket. There’s a Thai restaurant at the foot of Mission Hills called Saffron that makes the most amazing Thai grilled rotisserie chicken, and my favorite peanut sauce in town. They sell pieces a la carte, as combos with rice and tangy Asian slaw, or you can buy the whole bird. I picked up a couple pieces of white and dark, shredded them, and combined the meat with peanut sauce and crunchy, crispy pickled veggies for some zing.

Lastly, I made a chilled dessert soup. Two, actually. There are tons of recipes for cold fruit soups out there that call for heavy cream, yogurt, sour cream, etc. I wanted something lighter though, and truer to the fruit. In the end, I settled on a nectarine soup, and a strawberry one. Both are blended with mint, balsamic, a sprinkle of sugar, a pinch of salt, and in the nectarine’s case, a hit of heat from a little red chili flake. To go along side, a grilled lemon pound cake cream cheese sandwich. It’s the perfect summer dessert!

Heirloom Tomato Gazpacho

from We Heart Food

Ingredients
4 large red heirloom tomatoes
2/3 English cucumber, seeded and diced
4 cloves garlic
1/4-1/3 cup sherry vinegar
3 tbsp diced day-old baguette, crust removed
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tbsp granulated sugar
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/3 English cucumber, seeded and diced
yellow bell pepper, seeded and diced
red onion, diced

Instructions
Core and peel the tomatoes, then cut into chunks. In a blender, combine the tomatoes, cucumber, garlic, most of the vinegar, and bread. Taste, and if needed, add the rest of the vinegar. Puree until smooth. While pureeing, slowly add olive oil until emulsified. Season with sugar, salt, and pepper. Refrigerate until cold. Serve in a bowl with a drizzle of olive oil and garnish with cilantro, accompanied by the diced cucumber, bell pepper, and red onion.

Makes 4-6 cups, depending on the size of the tomatoes

Grilled Manchengo & Fig Sandwiches

Ingredients

Manchengo cheese

fresh figs

good quality white bread

butter, softened

Instructions

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees

Slice each fig in half

Arrange on a parchment lined baking sheet

Roast until soft, juicy and tender, about 20 minutes

Slice cheese to desired thickness

Butter two slices of bread

Place one slice butter side down on hot grill pan

Arrange cheese and figs to cover bread, top with second slice

Weigh down and press sandwich with a cast iron skillet, or other pan weighted with canned goods

Cook until browned and crisp, flip, and repeat

Thai Coconut Corn Stew

from Eat Me, Delicious

Ingredients

1/2 tbsp oil

1 cup onion, diced

1 cup celery, diced

3 medium cloves garlic, minced

1 tbsp fresh ginger, grated

3/4 tsp coriander seeds

3/4 tsp sea salt

1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

1 stalk lemongrass

4 cups frozen corn kernels

2 cups vegetable stock

1 can (14 oz) light coconut milk

1 red bell pepper, diced

2 tsp lime zest

2 tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice

1/3 – 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

Instructions

In a large pot on medium heat, add oil, onions, celery, garlic, ginger, coriander seeds, salt, and red pepper flakes and stir to combine. Cover and cook for 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally. Meanwhile, cut off lower yellow bulbous portion of lemongrass,and remove and discard tough outer leaves along with upper portion of stalk. Using a chef’s knife, “bruise” the bulbous portion to release flavour: cut a few slits and using pressure of knife, open and bruise stalk. Add it to the pot, along with 3 cups corn kernels, stock, and coconut milk, and increase heat to bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to medium-low, cover and cook for 10 minutes. Remove lemongrass, and with a hand blender, briefly puree soup to make it a little creamier. Return lemongrass to pot, and stir in remaining 1 cup corn kernels and diced red bell pepper. Cover and cook for another 5-6 minutes on medium-low heat. Stir in lime zest and lime juice (adjust to taste). Season with additional salt if desired. Just before serving, stir in cilantro.

Thai Chicken Pitas with Creamy Peanut Sauce and Pickled Veggies

adapted from Petit Chef

This was actually a recipe for chicken burgers, that I reinterpreted using shredded chicken.

Ingredients

1 Rotisserie chicken (I used the excellent version from Saffron), shredded

Peanut Sauce

1/4 cup peanut butter

1 tsp garlic (or garlic powder)

2 tsp red curry paste

2 Tbsp coconut milk (or more to make thinner)

1 tsp coriander

1 tsp cumin

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl. Refrigerate until needed.

Pickled Veggies

1/4 cup rice vinegar

2 Tbsp sugar

1-2 tsp soy sauce

1 tsp red curry paste

1 Tbsp sweet chili sauce

1 clove garlic, thinly sliced

1 shallot, thinly sliced

1/2 cucumber, thinly sliced

2 carrots, peeled into strips

Instructions

1. In a medium bowl, mix the rice vinegar, sugar, soy sauce, curry paste, chili sauce, and garlic to combine. Make sure the sugar is dissolved.

2. Add the veggies and toss to coat. Allow to marinate for at least 15 minutes (the longer they go, the more tender and flavorful the vegetables will be)

To finish pitas:

Spread some peanut sauce on a toasted pita. Place shredded chicken inside, and finish with pickled vegetables.

Santa Fe Chilled Nectarine Soup

adapted from medicinenet.com

Ingredients

2 lbs (8 small) nectarines, cut up

1 cup apple juice

1 cup cranberry cocktail juice

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves (I substituted mint here, so it would marry with the strawberry soup)

Instructions
1. Combine nectarines with juices, salt, pepper flakes and vinegar in electric blender.

2. Whirl until smooth and blended. Add cilantro (or mint) leaves and whirl in a stop-and-go fashion a few seconds, just to chop.

Strawberry Soup with Mint and Balsamic

Ingredients

2 pints fresh strawberries

2 ts white balsamic

1/4 cup fresh mint leaves

sugar to taste, depending on how sweet your berries are

pinch of salt

Instructions

Wash and hull berries, reserving a couple to chop for garnish

Combine berries, balsamic, mint leaves, salt and sugar in electric blender

Whirl until smooth and blended

To serve soups, pour slowly and simultaneously into opposite sides of the same bowl.
Garnish with chopped strawberries, and mint.

Grilled Lemon Pound Cake Sandwiches

from canadianliving.com

Ingredients

3/4 cup cream cheese, softened

3 tbsp granulated sugar

1 tsp grated lemon rind

4 tsp lemon juice

1/4 tsp vanilla

12 slices (1/4 inch thick) Lemon Pound Cake

2 tbsp butter

Instructions

In bowl and using fork, mash together cream cheese, sugar, lemon rind, lemon juice and vanilla until smooth. Spread over 6 of the pound cake slices. Sandwich with remaining slices. 

In large nonstick skillet, melt half of the butter over medium heat; cook half of the sandwiches, turning once, for about 3 minutes or until edges are crisp and golden. Repeat with remaining sandwiches.

San Diego is a funny sort of place, where we have beautiful gorgeous perfect weather almost completely year round. But then a funny thing happens. May rolls around and the skies turn sort of greyish pewter colored, especially in the mornings, most often giving way to sparkly sunshine by about 10am. It persists with such regularity that we refer to it as “May Grey.” The gloomy drizzly mornings are persistent little buggers, hanging around a full 60 days or so all the way through “June Gloom.” (you’ll notice from the comments section that I originally made some incredibly idiotic sleep deprived remark about April coming between May & June, which has subsequently been swapped out for something slightly less “um…didn’t we all learn that in first grade?”)
Personally, overcast days are some of my favorites. Everything is nice and cool, I can go outside sans sunglasses without fear of searing my retinas, I can drive with my windows down instead of the A/C blasting, and best of all - they make me want to make soup. I LOVE soup. I would eat soup every single day if it weren’t usually too warm out to warrant it.

Of all the soups out there, corn chowder ranks pretty high in my personal standings. I like clam chowder just fine, except for when it tends to be super duper thick bordering on gloppy. And while the flavor of them tickles my fancy just fine, the texture of cooked clams makes me gag. I hate chewing on those rubbery little bits. Blech.

Corn chowder is this fantastic alternative, where you still get all the best bits (the bacon, the potatoes, the lovely velvety texture), but without those gross little chunks of rubbery mollusk. Again I say blech.

Problem is, the urge to make corn chowder usually strikes in the Fall, when the wind starts to bluster, and I get to eagerly break out all my favorite sweaters. Why is this a problem? Because corn is at it’s sweetest, tenderest, most amazing seasonal peak in SUMMER, that’s why! Sure, the frozen stuff will do in a pinch, but nothing compares to kernels freshly sheared from their cobs with a nice sharp knife.

Thankfully, this is where June Gloom stands up and makes itself useful. It tricks me into thinking I want to make soup, even in the middle of summer! Today’s gloom persisted all throughout the day, so that by the time I was leaving work, I’d made a mental list of all the ingredients I already had at home for a big pot of my very favorite soup.

My attention span being what it is, there are very few dishes I’ve ever felt compelled to replicate repeatedly. Usually I get an idea in my head, either execute it or get distracted by the next thing, and then move on. This soup is a rare exception to that rule, I’ve probably made it half a dozen times over the last year or so. The original version is actually an Emeril Lagasse recipe for corn and oyster chowder. Freshly shucked oysters aren’t typically in my budget, so the first time I made it I swapped out the shellfish for a couple of cans of crab meat. It was delicious, but every time since, I’ve never felt compelled to include any seafood. It’s really the corn I’m after. I simply increased the quantities of corn and potatoes, and that’s how I’ve been making it ever since. Another adjustment to my version is that after I render the bacon, I remove it from the pot and drain it on paper towels. I left it in the entire time once, and by the end of the cooking process, any modicum of flavor had been completely cooked out. Flabby, mushy, flavorless bacon = not so delicious. Now I wait until the very last step, when I’m stirring in the half & half and fresh parsley, and let the crispy little bits of bacon rejoin the party.

Lucky for me, I still had four ears of super sweet Farmers Market corn left over from this morning’s TV segment. I cooked it just like I told everybody they should, in a ziplock bag in the microwave. No huge pots of boiling water, no grill to fire up, no muss no fuss! It made for the very best version of this soup yet, I’m not sure I’ll be able to make it with frozen corn ever again. I’ve been ruined forever for Fall corn chowder! This is destined to be a Summer dish from now on.

June Gloom Corn Chowder
adapted from Oyster and Corn Chowder by Emeril Lagasse

Ingredients

3/4 pound bacon, julienned (about 10 slices)

2 cups chopped onions

1 cup chopped celery

1 cup diced carrot

1 cup sweet corn kernels (as much as you want, I like about four ears worth)

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

6 bay leaves

3/4 cup flour

8 cups chicken stock

2 cups diced white potatoes (my version has 3-4 cups)

1 cup half and half

1/2 cup finely chopped fresh parsley

2 pounds shucked oysters with liquid (totally optional, swappable for crab, or nothin’ at all)

1/4 teaspoon Tabasco Hot sauce (optional)

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon chopped parsley

Directions

In a large nonstick stock pot, over medium heat, render the bacon for 10 minutes. (this is where I remove it from the pot) Stir in the onions, celery, carrots and corn. Season the vegetables with salt, cayenne, and bay leaves. Saute for 10 minutes, or until the vegetables are soft and tender. Stir in the flour and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. (this never works for me – I always wind up stirring in a couple cups of stock early, or I’d have a burned sticky mess on my hands) Stir in the chicken stock and bring up to a boil. Add the potatoes and simmer for 15 minutes, or until the potatoes are fork tender. (this is where I’d add the crab, if using) Stir in the cream and parsley (and toss the bacon back in the pool). Simmer the soup for 5 minutes. Add the oysters with liquid (if using), hot sauce and Worcestershire sauce. Simmer the soup for 2 minutes, or until the oysters start to curl. Ladle the soup in a shallow bowl and garnish with and parsley.