The Olympics + Peach & Sungold Gazpacho
Picking something back up and sticking with it, plus my first non-baking recipe in this newsletter
Like many of you, I’m glued to the Olympics right now. Every four years, I clear my schedule and watch as much as I can. No, I haven’t gotten much work done this week. But I did think up this “r-essay-pe” (like recipe + essay…get it?), so here we go.
I was lucky to do a lot of activities as a kid. My folks signed me up for anything I seemed remotely interested in: baseball, tennis, golf, soccer, swimming, piano, choir, dance, theater, and spelling bee. You name it, I did it. Some things didn't last more than one season (soccer, spelling bee), some lasted a few years (baseball, tennis, golf, dance, piano lessons), then some lasted a long time (choir, theater, and swimming). I was decent at baseball, tennis, and golf. But golf was boring, so I didn't care about that. Tennis was fun, but (again), I wasn't serious. Baseball was cool because I got to hang out with my friends. But swimming stuck as my sport. I swam year-round, from the ages of about 8 to 16. We were privileged that our neighborhood had a nice pool, and a lot of my friends joined the swim team.
As I mentioned last year. I was a mediocre swimmer. But if someone asks me what my sport is, I say swimming. Every four years, the summer Olympics come on, and I'm glued to the swimming—along with all the other events. It was one of the only televised sport that I dove into. I know how it works, I know the rules, and I know the feeling of racing in the pool. Even though I was nowhere near being a collegiate swimmer, let alone an Olympian, I did it for eight years. When I watch Olympic swimming, I jump out of my seat and yell at the TV. It's the only sport that brings that out of me. (If you don't count a certain friendly baking competition.)
Fast forward to 2021. Watching the Tokyo games, I realized I hadn't been in the pool in about 20 years. Get me on vacation near a lake or ocean, and I will jump in and have some fun. I'm a fish. I love water. But I haven't donned goggles to swim laps in eons.
After watching the 2021 games, I decided to give this a try. Maybe I could add swimming to my workout routine. I bought a pair of goggles, put on my Speedo, and took the plunge. Holy moly. My body remembered how to do the strokes! But could I swim laps? Barely. After four laps of freestyle, I was pooped--out of breath. Mind you, I exercise. But my arms and legs hadn't done a lap in the pool in two decades. So I took a minute to catch my breath and did two more laps. Then, two more. After about fifteen minutes in the pool, I could tell that was enough.
My whole body was sore the next day. But I remembered that I could swim for two hours as a teenager. As a late-thirty-something, I should be able to do a 30-minute workout in the pool.
I'm proud to say that I've hit the pool at least once a week (barring travel or illness) since the summer of 2021. I can swim for a full half hour with barely a few minutes rest between drills. I can even squeeze out two laps of butterfly. This past week, I did a 200-meter IM. It was a struggle, but I did it!
Many days, I get out of the pool after my workout, and someone much older than me is still swimming. He was there before I arrived, and he's still there afterward. This is a reminder that it's never too late.
I don't really know what the moral of this story is. It's just a reminder that we can do hard things. We can pick something up that we put down a long time ago. We might not be the same. Yes, my joints hurt a bit more, and my recovery time is longer, but I can still swim. And I enjoy it.
My time in the pool is meditation. I have to focus on my swimming without focusing on my body's fatigue. I heard Katie Ledecky talk about her mental state during the 1,500 meters, and I totally understood what she meant. I usually think of recipes, baking, or writing. I have formulated some of my favorite recipes while in the pool.
Speaking of recipes, here's one I dreamed up in the pool. Sometimes people ask me if I cook. Yes, I do. A lot. So today I’m breaking the mold and giving you a savory recipe—one that involves no cooking or baking at all.
Peach & Sungold Gaspacho
I'm not the first to do a peach gazpacho, but I am here to support it. I don’t even know if it qualifies as a gazpacho. Maybe I should refer to it as a cold soup. Fruit belongs in more savory dishes, so here we go. When I made this for dinner, Jason initially made the "kombucha woman" face but then extolled this dish.
We're in the height of Michigan peach and tomato season, so get out there and make this easy, cold blender soup. Sunny, sweet sungold tomatoes match perfectly with tangy, luscious peaches, but any delicious tomato can work. Instead of using bread to thicken this gaspacho-ish soup, I use almonds. Adjust the recipe to your taste, adding more or less water, vinegar, salt, and spice to suit your needs.
I prefer the soup at room temperature, or slightly chilled. If you like it cold, put all of the ingredients in the refrigerator at least an hour before making it.
Serves two as part of a main dish or four as an appetizer or side dish.
For the soup
2 large peaches (about 300 g), pitted, unpeeled and cut into quarters
150 g sungold tomatoes, any other yellow or orange tomatoes of any size
1/2 of a large garlic clove (about 1/2 teaspoon)
30 g sweet onion (like Vidalia), peeled and roughly chopped
100 g (about 1/2 cup) cucumber, peeled and roughly chopped
2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 Tablespoons white wine vinegar
30 g blanched almonds (whole, slivered, or sliced)
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Hefty pinch of ground cayenne pepper
1/4 cup cold water
For garnish
1 peach, finely diced
1/4 cup cucumber, finely diced
Croutons!
Put all of the ingredients into a bowl and blend on high speed and blend for about 1 minute until smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning. If it seems to thick, add some water. If it seems too thin, add a few more almonds. It can be made 1 day ahead if kept refrigerated. Blend again and adjust liquid and seasoning before serving.
To serve, pour the soup in a bowl, garnish with diced peaches and cucumber add some croutons just before eating.
Happy Summer,
Martin