Makes 1 serving
Gazpacho Vinaigrette:
1 cucumber, peeled and seeded
6 Roma tomatoes, peeled
3 shallots
juice of 4 lemons
1 cup tomato juice
2 tablespoons chopped flat leaf parsley
2 cloves garlic
1/2 cup chopped green onion tops
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/2 tablespoon Tabasco
additional lemon juice
extra virgin olive oil
Eggplant Croutons:
1/2 cup cubed peeled eggplant
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup semolina
oil for frying
salt to taste
Salad:
1/2 pound asparagus spears
1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 tablespoon diced cucumber
1 tablespoon diced seeded tomato
1 teaspoon finely diced celery
1 teaspoon finely diced red onion
1/2 teaspoon minced flat leaf parsley
Cut cucumber into pieces and place in a food processor blender; add tomatoes, shallots, lemon juice, tomato juice, parsley, garlic and green onion tops. Pulse to puree. Transfer to a bowl; season with Tabasco, salt and pepper.
To finish the vinaigrette, for each cup of gazpacho, add the juice of one lemon and 1 cup extra virgin olive oil; blend using a had blender until thickened and frothy.
For the croutons, dip cubed eggplant in milk, then dredge in semolina. In a deep fryer, heat oil to 375 degrees; fry eggplant until lightly browned. Drain on paper towel. Season immediately with salt.
Trim, peel and blanch the asparagus; toss with oil. Season with salt and pepper. Place in the center of the plate. Ladle 3 tablespoons gazpacho vinaigrette over the asparagus. Garnish with cucumber, tomato, celery, red onion, parsley and eggplant croutons.