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avocado gazpacho with spicy croutons |
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Tuesday, 19 June 2007 |
avocado gazpacho with spicy croutons
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| A request came in from a friend's friend in Alabama for a cool soup. Perhaps in this age of global warming we'll all need one, so here’s my favorite. If you want to serve this as a light main dinner, see the suggestions at the end of the recipe. |
serves 4 to 6
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prep time: 25 minutes chilling time: 1 hour
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spicy croutons
1/2 loaf (8 ounces) crusty bread
4 tablespoons butter
2 teaspoons chile powder (see note)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cumin
Ground pepper
2 cucumbers
Juice of 2 limes
1-1/2 cups vegetable or chicken broth
1/2 cup cilantro leaves
1 small jalapeño, seeded and chopped, or
2 tablespoons canned diced green chiles
2 green onions, sliced
Salt
2 large ripe avocadoes |
To make croutons, preheat your oven to 450°. Cut the bread into small cubes and spread on a baking sheet. Bake until just golden, about 10 minutes. Melt butter and stir in chile powder, salt, cumin, and pepper to taste. Pour over bread cubes and toss to coat. Return to oven and bake 5 minutes more. Let cool, then store in an airtight container up to 2 days.
To make gazpacho base, peel and dice one of the cucumbers. Put it in a blender with the lime juice, broth, cilantro, chile, green onions, and a pinch of salt. Dice one of the avocadoes and add it to the blender, then puree. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour or up to 1 day.
To serve, finely dice the other cucumber and avocado and stir them into the gazpacho base. Divide soup among bowls and sprinkle each with spicy croutons.
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NOTE: for the croutons, look for ground dried chiles, such as ancho or New Mexico, as opposed to a chili powder, which is a spice mix. If that’s too much hassle, just go with chili powder or even paprika.
TO MAKE THIS MORE OF A MAIN DISH: Instead of croutons, you can top each bowl of soup with a pile of bay shrimp or chopped cooked prawns, and sprinkle with a few chopped tomatoes. Serve with tortilla chips and cold beer for a light summer dinner. Or serve the soup with quesadillas for a really easy meal.
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