Even though it's Memorial Day weekend, Roni and I decided to stay at home, relax, catch up on our passion projects and ultimately save some money. It all worked out great, except for the relaxation part. It feels like it's been one of my busiest weekends lately and without realizing it time flew by and it's Monday already. It's crazy how fast long weekends seem to pass. The good news is that long weekends are followed by short work weeks, so at least we've got that going for us.

It's been raining nonstop here in Austin lately. I can't remember the last rain-free day. I have never experienced something like this in the four years that I spent in this town. It's as if monsoon season made its way across the Pacific and into the Gulf of Mexico. I know it's beneficial for the lakes around town, but I'm tired of waking up to thunder shaking our house in the middle of the night. I’m especially sick of the swarms of mosquitoes that eat you alive as soon as you step foot outside.

I can't wait for the sunny days when we can go to Barton Springs (which by the way is currently flooded). I want to lay in the sun and take a plunge in the cold water afterwords. I want to get a nice tan, play soccer in Zilker Park, and to be finally able to play fetch with Popsi in the backyard without having to hose the mud off of her.

That is the spirit I cooked this soup in- the hot days of summer when all you crave is a cold and refreshing meal. This soup recipe may be my most simple one. It requires just a little bit of effort: chop the ingredients, let them marinate in the refrigerator and lastly puree them to a silky smooth consistency.

Cold vegetable soups are not too common in Eastern Europe. In Hungary we have cold summer soups, but usually they are made out of fruit. The sour cherry cream soup is one of my favorites and I plan on sharing the recipe sometime soon.

As far as gazpacho is concerned, I didn't know too much about it until about 5 years ago when I was visiting a good friend of mine in Barcelona. It was an eye opening experience. “How have I never thought to make this before?", I thought to myself. It was so delicious that I ate it every single day that I spent there and every time I return to Barcelona I begin my trip with a cold bowl of gazpacho.

The idea of this soup came to me when Roni and I were having friends over for dinner. I made Beef Bourguignon as the entrée, so I wanted a very light appetizer. My Romanian heritage makes me almost always choose soups over salads, so I decided to go with this gazpacho as an appetizer. I served it with pickled shrimp (recipe to come soon), but if you're vegetarian, skip the shrimp and serve it with roasted sunflower seeds and smoked paprika. The nuttiness and crunchiness of the seeds will bring out the sweet taste and smooth texture of the gazpacho.

The recipe is easily modifiable to accommodate vegans, too. Just skip the yogurt and you've got yourself a vegan delight! The final result will taste as good as the original recipe, but it won't be as creamy. Enjoy!

Cucumber and Avocado Gazpacho

Serves 6-8
Prep time: 30 minutes
Inactive time: 1 hour
Total time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Ingredients

2 English cucumbers, peeled, deseeded and roughly chopped
1 large avocado, pitted and diced
1 jalapeño, deseeded and chopped
4 fresh basil leaves, roughly chopped
1/2 lemon, juiced
1 1/2 TBS honey
1/4 cup rice vinegar, mirin, or a mix of both
1/4 cup yogurt, optional
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper, freshly ground
2 1/2 cups cold water
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 cup roasted sunflower seeds

Instructions

In a large bowl combine cucumbers, avocado, jalapeño, basil, lemon juice, honey, vinegar, yogurt, olive oil, salt and pepper. Mix well until cucumbers are evenly coated. Cover with plastic wrap and let it rest in the refrigerator for at least an hour.
Transfer mix to a food processor and puree until it becomes smooth. Add water and pulse for an extra minute. Taste and adjust seasoning.
Serve gazpacho cold with smoked paprika and roasted sunflower seeds on top.

It's the weekend and my dog Popsi wakes me up early just like on any other day of the week. I get up, let her out and follow her into the backyard. As I soon as I set foot on the lawn she brings me her tennis ball to fetch a few times. Even though my eyes are still not completely open and every ray of light bothers me, I comply. Twenty fetches in I realize that I'm hungry. Starving. I need something that is hearty and satisfying, but not breakfast tacos because I had that yesterday. I'm too lazy to get dressed and go somewhere to grab a bite, so I decide to take a look at what's in the fridge.

I open it and see the usual suspects: eggs, cheese and milk. I look at the shelf below and I see a big tupperware with leftover brisket from my girlfriend's family's passover dinner the night before. It was delicious, but I can't have that for breakfast. I'm not a barbarian.

I move on and look into the veggie box that was delivered to us by our a local CSA, Johnson's Backyard Garden. The first thing that catches my attention is a big leafy bunch of greens: collard greens according to the label. I go on an investigation to find out what exactly they are and what they are called in Romanian or Hungarian. After all, how am I going to tell my parents what I cooked when we meet on Skype at noon?

I can't find how they translate, but I discover that collard greens are in the same family as cabbage and broccoli. Here in the south they are traditionally cooked with bacon and garlic, so I decide to saute them with shallots and garlic then add some of that brisket and finish it up with eggs and cheese. I don't want it to be loose and jiggly like the french omelette nor do I want it to be fluffy like an Italian frittata. Instead I want something dense, like a cake. So I took the Spanish Tortilla approach.

I used brisket, but you can use whatever you'd like. Do you have leftover steak or pork chops from last night's dinner? Put it in there. Mushrooms? No problem. You aren't from the South and you hate collard greens? Replace them with spinach or potatoes. Play with the flavors. After all it's hard to mess up anything with eggs.

¡Buen provecho!

Collard Greens and Brisket Spanish Tortilla

Serves 3-5
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 40 minutes

Ingredients

1 TBS unsalted butter
1 TBS olive oil
2 medium shallots, finely chopped (or 1 medium yellow onion)
3 cloves garlic, crushed and finely chopped
1 large bunch collard greens, roughly chopped
1/3 cup beef stock (or water)
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
1/2 pound brisket, chopped
8 eggs (pasture raised)
1 cup Manchego cheese, grated
1/2 cup whole milk (or cream)
salt, to taste

Garnish

1 tsp sweet paprika
green onions or chives, to garnish
sour cream (or crème fraîche), optional

Instructions

Start by heating up the oven to 375F (190C) degrees. By the time you're done with the preparation the oven should be at an ideal temperature.
In a large oven proof skillet, heat the butter and oil over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot add shallots and saute for about 5 minutes until they become golden brown. Add garlic and stir for another 2 minutes. Make sure you don't burn the garlic, as it becomes bitter.
Add collard greens and stock to the skillet and saute for 5 minutes until the greens are almost wilted. You don't want to overcook the greens so don't worry if they don't look entirely cooked.
Add the brisket, black pepper and salt to taste and cook for 5 more minutes. Taste the brisket before using it to get familiar with its saltiness.
In the meantime, in a large bowl beat the eggs until they become light yellow and foamy. Mix in the milk or cream, a pinch of salt, a pinch of pepper and the grated cheese.
Reduce heat under the collard greens and brisket to medium. Pour the egg mix into the skillet and flatten out the top. Cook until the sides are set, about 5 minutes. Use a spatula to occasionally loosen the eggs from the edges of the pan.
Transfer the skillet to the oven and let it cook until the top becomes golden brown, about 10-15 minutes.
Sprinkle green onions and sweet paprika all over it. You can top it with a dollop of sour cream for an Eastern European touch.
Serve in the skillet or slide the tortilla on a plate.