I love summer for the bounty of stone fruit. In my excitement, sometimes I buy too much, and it gets overripe for my taste as a snack on its own. If this happens to you too, don’t throw it out, do what chefs have done throughout time with still-ok-but-overripe produce: make soup. Don’t forget to taste along the way to get the flavor you want.
MIND foods: Wine, Olive Oil
Yield: 6-8 servings
Time: 10 minutes plus chilling time (at least 30 minutes)
Difficulty: Easy
Ingredients:
- 4 medium ripe yellow nectarines, cored and large chopped
- 1/2 ripe California avocado
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 Tbsp fresh lime juice
- 2 Tbsp sweet vermouth
- 1 Tbsp white balsamic vinegar
- 2 tsp white wine vinegar
- 1/2 tsp salt, or salt to taste
- 3 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 1-4 cups cold water
- 4 ice cubes, blended (optional)
Optional garnishes:
- 1 clove shallot, thinly sliced, soaked for 5+ minutes in rice wine vinegar and a pinch of salt
- 1/4 avocado, thinly sliced
Directions:
Wash and dry all fresh produce before beginning. Prep and measure all ingredients. In a large blender, combine nectarines, avocado, garlic, lime juice, sweet vermouth, vinegars, and salt, and blend until smooth. Slowly drizzle in olive oil and continue to blend. Optional: to speed up cooling, crush ice cubes in a food processor then add to main mixture. Add cold water a little at a time, until desired consistency is reached. Cover and chill in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes to let flavors meld. Garnish just before serving.
Nutrition: 125 calories, 9 g total fat, 1 g saturated fat, 1 g protein, 12 g carbohydrates, 2 g fiber
Nutrition information based on addition of 2 cups of cold water, and 6 servings yield; ice and garnishes not accounted for.
