Gazpacho and Sangria

A couple of Spanish favorites that I first had the pleasure of tasting while visiting Seville.  Gazpacho is basically a “cold” vegetable soup that is usually served as an appetizer with roasted bruscetta.  It’s super yummy, and is a great way to utilize those fresh vegetables in the garden. 

Sangria is a fruity wine “cooler” that pairs extremely well with this dish.  It’s very refreshing, and is perfect for a hot summer day next to the pool.

Ingredients

(yields 4 servings each)

For the Gazpacho

• 1 ½ pounds vine-ripened tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped
• 1 cup tomato juice
• 1 cup cucumber, peeled, seeded and chopped
• ½ cup chopped red bell pepper
• ½ cup chopped red onion
• 1 small jalapeno, seeded and minced
• 1 large garlic clove, puréed
• ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 lime, juiced
• 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• ½ teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2 tablespoons fresh basil leaves (chiffonade)

For the Sangria

• 1 cup halved red seedless grapes
• 1 cup fresh raspberries
• 1 apple, sliced thin
• 1 lime, juiced
• 1 bottle good quality fruity red wine, like shiraz or rioja
• ½ cup cognac
• 1 liter soda water
• ¼ cup simple syrup
• 1 orange sliced, as garnish

Directions

Fill a 6-quart pot halfway full of water, set over high heat and bring to a boil. Drop the tomatoes into the boiling water for 15 seconds, remove and transfer to an ice bath and allow to cool until able to handle. Remove and pat dry. Peel, core and seed the tomatoes.

When seeding the tomatoes, place the seeds and pulp into a fine mesh strainer set over a bowl in order to catch the juice. Press as much of the juice through as possible and then add enough bottled tomato juice to bring the total to 1 cup.

Place the tomatoes and juice into a large mixing bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients (vegetables, oil and spices) and stir to combine.

Transfer 1 1/2 cups of the mixture to a blender and puree. Return the pureed mixture to the bowl and stir to combine.

Cover and chill for 2 hours and up to overnight. Serve with chiffonade of basil.

In a large pitcher, add the grapes, raspberries and apples. Pour in the red wine, cognac and simple syrup and mix together. Refrigerate, about 20 minutes. When ready to serve, pour the soda water into the pitcher and stir. Serve the sangria in large wine glasses, and garnish with an orange slice.

Enjoy!

Honor vs. Chaos

When the Tao is lost, there is goodness.
When goodness is lost, there is morality.
When morality is lost, there is ritual.
Ritual is the husk of true faith,
the beginning of chaos.

– Lao Tzu, ca. 500 B.C.

An Honor Code is different than a moral code. People can be beaten into being moral but they can never be beaten into being honorable because honor requires judgment. You have to be able to reason to know the difference between right and wrong.  And only with the integrity of self-determined thought can there ever be any freedom of reason.

One of the first things that a despot will tell people is that he wants them to be moral or lawful.  He will then install a police force to enforce these laws.  This is then followed by the edict that the people mustn’t judge anything, especially the rulership.  The highest crime becomes any free thought that challenges the regime. And then all are subjugated through punishment and force.

The funny thing is that at this point the oppressed begin to suppress one another.  All reason is void to the point where, even though everyone is miserable, they willfully punish anyone who tries to escape the misery.  He who “rocks the boat” is cast overboard.  The prisons become overcrowded.  The asylums increase in bedlam.  The countryside becomes ravaged with war. Chaos ensues.

Eventually, the outcasts outnumber the “in” crowd.  The rumble in the weeds becomes a roar! The “revolutionaries” rise up and overthrow the Beast.  The cycle begins anew.

When will we learn?  No good can ever be wrought by enforcing a code. To do so does nothing but begin the cycle that can only lead to chaos. The path to freedom and honor is led by reason not force.  Teach people to think for themselves and maybe there can be hope for a better tomorrow….