IN THE KITCHEN WITH: Sharon Burde

Longboat Key resident Sharon Burde is an advocate of the Earth, fresh food and all things local. She visits the Sarasota Farmers Market every Saturday where she picks up fresh produce, gets her knives sharpened and says hello to her pottery class friends. Burde takes private clay classes on Longboat Key and serves her gazpacho in the beautiful bowls she make.

She has been making gazpacho for a long time. She doesn’t follow a recipe, but cooks by taste. It can be blended to any consistency and makes a refreshing summertime meal.

Ingredients:
Several varieties of fresh tomatoes
4 cloves of garlic, diced
1 medium onion, quartered
1 stalk of celery with leaves
1 green pepper, half diced for garnish
1 cucumber, half diced for garnish
1 tablesppoon fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil
a dash of Tabasco
1 teaspoon ground pepper
handful of fresh parsley
scallions (optional)
croutons (optional

Method:
1. Remove skin from tomatoes by scoring and dipping in boiling water. Cut them in quarters.
2. Add onion, garlic, celery, green peppers, cucumbers and all seasonings. Blend until desired texture
3. Repeat until all vegetables are blended. Add high quality tomato or vegetable juice to desired thickness.
4. Refrigerate several hours before serving.
5. Serve in small bowls with diced cucumber, green peppers and scallions for garnish. Add croutons just before serving.