Gazpacho

I try to connect things I love to photography, like reading, writing, relationships, cats, family, nature, and other things. Now, I'm going to attempt to add cooking to that list. I strive find and make art in everyday things that involve hands and clever ideas. Cooking is no different.

Let's break down cooking into smaller sections so that I can compare it to photography: ingredients, steps, presentation and consumption. Ingredients are food, spices, oils and what not that you put together to make a cohesive dish; photography ingredients are lighting, subject, texture and whatever else is needed to make a photo. There are certain steps that must be followed or altered as the recipe and image are put together. Presentation is also important for both because a sloppy meal doesn't look very appetizing, just like a sloppy image that hasn't been edited or framed can look unappealing. And hey, consumption! You don't eat photography physically, but in away your eyes do. Any image or meal is reinterpreted by the consumer according to their taste. You can feed your belly with one and your mind with the other.

Time for some Gazpacho!
I didn't follow a recipe, but there are plenty on-line if you want to get a basic idea and then do it your self. I really enjoy making things up while I cook, but I still do a little research before hand so I don't end up with a disappointing meal.

Ice tea is always a plus, or beer, while cooking.

Ingredients:
8 juicy sweet tomatos (I used a homegrown mixture of early girl, big boy, and ace).
salt and pepper
About 1/4 cup olive oil
cucumber
yellow onion
garlic
basil
1-2 lemons
sliced baby bella mushrooms
balsamic vinegar
slice of stale or hard bread or whatever you have on hand
(You can add any veggies you want, I just used what I had)

Add tomatos, half a cucumber, slice of bread with a few dashes of balasmic vinegar on it, and olive oil in a food processor or blender. Blend into soupy goodness. Add salt, pepper and lemon juice to taste. Saute mushrooms, sliced onion, and minced garlic in a pan with olive oil until cooked. Add to soupy goodness in a large bowl and put it in the fridge to chill before dinner, about an hour or so. Chop of basil to sprinkle on top and enjoy this end of summer refreshing meal! This is a definite dish for tomato lovers and this recipe is pretty sweet so be warned. The upside is that if you don't like it, you can heat it up, add ground beef and whabam! Instant spaghetti sauce.