Our resident gin chef, the amazing Carol has been busy, conjuring up more mouthwatering ginny dishes, using May's Gin of the Month: Boatyard Double Gin! 

Summer is just around the corner, and with it comes the prospect of lazy lunches in the sun and lingering al fresco suppers. It's time to look at something fresh, and Boatyard conjures up fresh, zingy, summer, ocean… now you get the idea!

One of my favourite dishes for a summer lunch is gazpacho, and one of my husband's favourite drinks is a Bloody Mary, so I thought: let's put the lot together, laced with gin and some delicious, roasted prawns!

This can be served as a starter, main or as little shots to accompany a gin and tonic or a cocktail. Here it goes… my take on gazpacho with a gin-soaked twist.

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Boatyard Gazpacho with Roasted Prawns

Method: 

Place all the ingredients except the gin in a blender and blend until smooth, adding a little water until you get the consistency you like. The soup should err on the side of thick – neither chunky nor too thin. Pop in the fridge to chill overnight. 

Toss your prawns in olive oil and seasonings, then leave to marinate for 10-15 minutes. Spread the prawns out on a baking tray and roast in a hot oven for 5-10 minutes, keeping an eye on them; the roasting time varies with the size of the prawns. Allow to cool. Roasting the prawns adds a whole new depth of flavour, and I guarantee you will do this again for other dishes.

When it’s time to serve, add a handful of crushed ice to the gazpacho and check the seasoning. Then add Boatyard Double Gin to taste – it's up to you how boozy you would like your soup. Serve in flat bowls with finely diced cucumber, red onion and roasted prawns on top for a starter or light lunch. You can make some delicious croutons from ciabatta brushed with olive oil and grilled.

For shots, again add Boatyard Double Gin to taste and serve in individual glasses, garnished with cucumber, onion and prawns.

*If you have a seriously powerful blender, such as a Vitamix, you can pop the lot in, tomato stalks and all. If you have a regular blender, or food processor, I'd advise skinning and de-seeding the tomatoes first, or else passing the lot through a sieve or mouli.
 

Ingredients: 

For the soup:

1 small red onion
2 cloves garlic
Half each, red and green pepper
Half of a cucumber
300g very ripe red tomatoes*
300g passata
1 slice white bread
4tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2tsp sherry vinegar
Dash tabasco
1tsp sugar
Salt and pepper
1/2 tsp grains of paradise (easily available online)
Boatyard Double Gin, to taste

For the roasted prawns:

Peeled, raw king prawns (5-6 per serving as soup, 3 per serving as a shot)
Grains of paradise
Salt and coarse ground black pepper
Crushed juniper berries
Olive oil
Lemon zest