Raising The Heat With Cool Soup And Trout Salad
San Antonio is no stranger to triple-digit heat this time of year. That's why Jason Dady likes to keep it cool in the kitchen of his northern Italian-themed restaurant called Tre Trattoria.
This time of year, the tomatoes and cucumbers are fresh, the veggies are bountiful, and Dady says it's one of the season's highlights to have fun with light and refreshing food.
For the gazpacho, Dady chops cucumbers, tomatoes and bell peppers, then adds some water. Then he blends it, a couple times.
With red wine vinegar, pepper for taste, and bread for thickness, Dady summons some tropical flavors for garnish — mango and avocado. It's so smooth a baby could eat it.
Dady's not much on rules. "Everybody asks the chef, what size, what's the shape?" he says. "You know, it's like, do you want to spend 15 minutes cutting your mango or do you want to spend 15 minutes enjoying it?"
Dady's been in the restaurant business for 12 years. He started out with his own restaurant at the age of 24. His smoked trout salad is high on the list of his summer favorites.
"This is one of those wild crazy things," he says, "that just comes to you in the middle of the night type of dish, you know?"
“ This is one of those wild crazy things, that just comes to you in the middle of the night type of dish, you know?