Wednesday, July 18, 2007
Those of us who live in San Francisco sacrifice warm summer weather to live in a beautiful city and enjoy mild temperatures the rest of the year. But that means we might not necessarily yearn for the cold foods the rest of the country eats to chill out on hot days.
I'm talking about dishes made of ingredients straight from the fridge or freezer -- no cooking, no toiling around hot stoves, and no time in an un-air-conditioned apartment. Gazpacho and other cold soups come to mind.
Yet those foods don't need hot days to make them attractive. Earlier this month I was in Jackson Hole, Wyo., where, despite being in the 90s during the day, the mountain temperatures cool off in the evening. Even when the heat dissipates, cold soups are refreshing, light, clean-tasting.
Cold soups make a perfect starter for a light summer meal, or a great snack to pull out of the fridge and serve by the cupful to visitors stopping by on a rare sunny weekend.
The best part? No cooking. Many cold soup recipes -- including the famed gazpacho -- take little more than a whiz in the blender or the wielding of a knife. Then the mixture just needs time to chill, melding flavors and coming to the right temperature.
In Spain, where gazpacho is treated more like a pitcher of iced tea and sipped all day from the fridge, there are many takes on the classic, including a white gazpacho and a creamier salmorejo, which tends to have more oil and bread.
Many other countries with hot weather also enjoy cold soups. In Turkey, cold yogurt soups have a long history and are often made with either cucumbers, or for a more special occasion, rosebuds. Eastern Europeans prefer bright fuchsia beet soup chilled when it's hot out.
And in Korea, a cold soup with seaweed and sesame acts as a restorative tonic for new mothers.
Avocado Soup with Cucumber, Melon & Mint is my California take on cold soups. Whiz cucumber and avocado in a blender until smooth and make sure to completely process all of the ingredients for at least 3 to 5 minutes, until the soup is airy.
There's buttermilk in the soup, which is naturally lower fat than cream, and has a tanginess similar to yogurt. It's thin enough to be a good base, but creamy enough to add body to the soup.
For a vegan soup, substitute vegetable stock for the buttermilk, and thin it out with water.
It's important to check for balance after the soup has been blended and chilled. Re-taste it, then add salt or lemon juice as needed to brighten the flavors.
Experiment with different vinegars, perhaps tossing in a spoonful of sherry vinegar for a deeper flavor.
For an elegant starter, strain the soup, pushing on the solids, and ladle it around a garnish of melon, cucumber and mint arranged in a low, shallow soup bowl.
For more impromptu presentation, feel free to not strain the soup and mix in a few spoonfuls of the garnish. It actually packs up nicely in a water bottle for a surprisingly transportable picnic dish.
You can also experiment with the basic ingredients, as buttermilk works well with cucumbers, tomatoes and corn. Adjust the garnish accordingly: melon plays off the sweetness of the avocado, but lightly fried croutons would be more appropriate with a soup made of corn or tomato. You can also add cubes of seared tofu for a boost of protein.
After making the soup, the next step is to get invited to someone's house where the weather follows traditional summer, as in the East Bay, South Bay or way up north.
Or wait it out. It may not be hot now, but when the real San
Francisco summer strikes -- October, anyone? -- I'll be sipping this
soup while catching some rays on my fire escape.
Serves 6
This cold soup can served either strained, with the cucumber and melon garnish on top, or unstrained, with a few spoonfuls mixed in.
3 cucumbers, seeded and cut into 2-inch chunks (unpeeled)
3 avocados, peeled, pitted and sliced
1 shallot, chopped
2 cups vegetable stock (or buttermilk)
1 1/2 cups water or light vegetable broth + more to thin the soup as necessary
2 tablespoons lemon juice or vinegar
1/2 tablespoon salt
2 tablespoons chopped mint
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
For garnish
1 cucumber, peeled and diced
1/2 cup diced melon (honeydew or cantaloupe)
1 tablespoon minced mint leaves
Salt to taste
Lemon juice to taste
Instructions: Put the cucumber, avocado, shallot, buttermilk (or vegetable stock), water, lemon juice, salt, mint and cayenne into a blender. If the blender is too small, work in batches. Puree the soup for 3 to 4 minutes per batch, until it is completely smooth. For a smoother soup, strain and put in the refrigerator and cool until very, very cold, about 1 to 4 hours. It can also be left unstrained, but it won't be as silky. The soup can be made a day ahead. Thin the soup as necessary it should be the consistency of thick pancake batter.
In a small bowl, toss together the cucumber, melon, mint and salt to taste. For a fancier presentation, use a ring mold to make a small cylinder of garnish at the bottom. Otherwise, evenly distribute the garnish among the dishes. Once the soup is chilled, season to taste with more lemon juice and salt. Ladle the soup around and serve.
Per serving: 245 calories, 7 g protein, 22 g carbohydrate, 17 g fat (3 g saturated), 5 mg cholesterol, 640 mg sodium, 7 g fiber.
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/07/18/FDGIJQVG8D1.DTL
This article appeared on page F - 1 of the San Francisco Chronicle
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/oped/bal-op.vegetarian19jul19,0,7931388.story
_______________________________________________By Patrice Green
- July 19, 2007
Temperatures are rising around the world, ice caps are melting, and storms are becoming more severe. Even the Chesapeake Bay and its surrounding island communities are at risk. Death tolls from the increasing heat are also rising, according to a new study from the Harvard School of Public Health's department of environmental health.
It's time for action. Sensational headlines may leave many people feeling overwhelmed about climate change. But global warming can be slowed - and many Americans are trying to do just that.
We're getting "greener": Recycling, energy-saving light bulbs and fuel-efficient hybrid cars are now a part of our culture and economy.
But most people are neglecting one of the most important steps toward stopping global warming: adopting a vegetarian diet.
Americans need to know that what we eat has a huge impact on the environment - and changing our diet can make a difference. Animal agriculture, a major source of water pollution and deforestation, has become one of the biggest culprits in global warming. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations released a report this year showing that farmed animals are a top contributor to today's serious environmental problems, including greenhouse gases.
The report found that livestock produced 35 percent to 40 percent of all methane emissions (which have 23 times the global warming potential of carbon dioxide), 65 percent of nitrous oxide (which is 320 times as warming as carbon dioxide) and 64 percent of ammonia, which contributes to acid rain.
Nearly 30 percent of the Earth's land surface is used for grazing animals, and that number is expected to increase with the global livestock sector growing faster than any other agricultural subsector. That's because in almost every region of the world, consumption of animal products is on the rise.
This trend has another disturbing consequence. The global increase in meat consumption has caused rates of obesity, diabetes, heart disease and other diet-related illnesses to soar.
If we're going to reverse the damage we've done to our health and the environment, we have to begin now.
Eliminating or reducing meat and other animal products is easier than most people think. I've seen this firsthand among my patients in Baltimore: They experience improvements in their weight, blood pressure and cholesterol levels after making healthful dietary changes, and they stick with their new diet because they enjoy the food and feel better.
It's time to go beyond greening our cars, light bulbs and cleaning products. By piling more leafy green vegetables on our plates, we can literally green our diets - and reduce environmental damage to the planet.
Studies have shown that people who follow a plant-based diet are slimmer and have less risk of chronic, diet-related diseases than people on high-fat, meat-based diets. In fact, America could begin to reverse its diabetes and obesity epidemics by turning to a high-fiber, low-fat vegetarian diet consisting primarily of vegetables and fruits, whole grains, and beans, lentils and peas.
Other side effects of a meatless diet include lower cholesterol, lower blood pressure and increased energy.
Staying healthy and fighting global warming can go hand in hand.
By greening our diets, we just might be able to save ourselves - and the planet.
Dr. Patrice Green, a primary care physician in Baltimore, is a member of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, which promotes vegetarianism and alternatives to animal experiments. She may be reached at info@xxxxxxxx.