Gazpacho

Summer can't begin until I've had my first bowl of cool gazpacho, and there's no better place to do the honors than Amada, where this warm-weather classic is transformed into a work of art. Yellow tomatoes are at the heart of chef MacGregor Mann's early-season rendition, rounded into a silky, bright puree with mellow Tuscan melons and edgy seasoning accents from Spain, from the extra-virgin olive oil (arbequina) to the sherry vinegar (sweet-tart Pedro-Ximenez) and even Catalonian bottled water.

The city Health Department has concluded there was clearly something in the gazpacho that sickened more than 500 women at a fund-raising dinner May 12 at the Bellevue. But laboratory tests have failed to pinpoint the exact organism that caused the food poisoning. City health workers had suspected that a virus called the Norwalk virus was responsible for a huge outbreak of vomiting and diarrhea among the women, but blood samples analyzed by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

Soup revives. It's not only cozy in winter but invigorating in the heat of summer. It is able to maintain its popularity year-round simply by changing temperature. Not all soups can be served cold. Vegetable and fruit soups work better than meat-based soups, which tend to get gelatinous as they chill. Jellied soups have their fans; however, they take a long time to cook, and then they need to be clarified and fortified. Cold vegetarian soups are far less labor-intensive, but in the swelter of August, work isn't the only obstacle.

End-of-winter whites You'll always know what season it is at Cafe Estelle just by looking at the color of the soup. The current "Where the White Things Are" special, for example, is chef-owner Marshall Greene's ode to the pale winter residents of his walk-in fridge (cauliflower, fennel, leeks, onions, apple, potato, and turnip) pureed into a lovely, complex, and surprisingly delicate creamy brew. In fall, it's the Orange Things (carrots, squash, sweet potatoes). Coming up soon will be the Green Things of spring, with their oniony, ramped-up lettuce punch.

Heart nutrition has seen many advances in the past decade, and the new, 5th edition of the "American Heart Association Cookbook" (Random House, $25) reflects the changes with updated recipes and 50 new ones. For example, there now are recipes incorporating arborio rice and brown rice. And the bean category has been expanded. Though tempting and often creative, recipes in the 1984 edition often called for large amounts of fat and nutrition information was limited to the number of calories.

Summer and soup? Once the mercury rises, the very thought of sipping a bowl of hearty potage is enough to give a person the vapors. Unless, of course, the soup is refreshingly chilled. Cold soups showing up on area menus are moving beyond traditional fare like cucumber and vichyssoise, with innovative and exotic flavor pairings that tease and refresh the palate. Combinations like red wine and grapefruit, blueberry ginger and coconut plantain are just a few of the cool soups being served this summer.

BLACKFISH AVALON 2109 Dune Dr., Avalon, 609-967-9100; www.blackfishrestaurant.com . Oysters topped with carbonated Meyer lemon foam and zaatar- dusted swordfish steaks over spicy merguez sausage are just two of the highlights at the new Avalon branch of the popular Conshohocken BYOB. It's already one of the Shore's finest kitchens. Dinner every day, 5:30 to 10:30 p.m. Entrees $28 to $39. BYOB. GERTRUDE'S 7309 Ventnor Ave., Ventnor, 609-823-3003; www.gertrudesventnor.

Shore dining heads inland at the Virginia Hotel (25 Jackson St., Cape May, N.J., 800-732-4236) with special two-night culinary packages. The Farm To Table Epicurean starts at $502 (for two people, through Oct. 31) and includes a trip to Cape Resorts Group's Beach Plum Farm with Executive Chef Lucas Manteca to pick out produce for dinner. The Ebbitt Room Dinner package starts at $476 (through Dec. 30) and includes a $110 voucher for the hotel's Ebbitt Room restaurant, with its locally sourced menu.

Gracious dining? In a parking lot? Gracious, yes! The Three Tenors performed last night at Giants Stadium at the Meadowlands Sports Complex. In a building where greatest hits often are measured by broken bones and stunned quarterbacks, Jose Carreras, Placido Domingo and Luciano Pavarotti wooed and wowed a near-capacity crowd that included former President Bush and Gov. Whitman, with selections ranging from Bernstein to Puccini. They sounded like angels, calling to their friends in the clouds.

There are no diners yet at the cafe tables set on the flower-fringed sidewalk in front of Rylei. And who knows when they will come? It may still be a while before this blue-collar commercial stretch of Frankford Avenue south of Cottman is ready - spiritually, culturally, gastronomically - for the carrot-orange sorbets of a striving BYOB and the carefree bon vivant-ness of alfresco dining. But the point is that it's here: Rylei is open for business, and Northeast Philadelphia, long a virtual desert of real culinary ambition, has a pleasant new oasis to feed its hungry.

After the tables were properly set, the ice water was poured, and everyone was seated, the chef greeted guests and described the lunch prepared for them: Beef lasagna with homemade tomato sauce and grated Parmesan cheese; roasted red peppers with rosemary; green salad with creamy herb vinaigrette; and for dessert, lemon granita. The table captains, outfitted in white chef's jackets, were summoned to carry trays of food and serve it family style. Not exactly the setting or menu you might expect for an urban school cafeteria, but such was the scene at Girard College in North Philadelphia last week, where 260 city kids ages 6 to 17 were having lunch at a camp program.

End-of-winter whites You'll always know what season it is at Cafe Estelle just by looking at the color of the soup. The current "Where the White Things Are" special, for example, is chef-owner Marshall Greene's ode to the pale winter residents of his walk-in fridge (cauliflower, fennel, leeks, onions, apple, potato, and turnip) pureed into a lovely, complex, and surprisingly delicate creamy brew. In fall, it's the Orange Things (carrots, squash, sweet potatoes). Coming up soon will be the Green Things of spring, with their oniony, ramped-up lettuce punch.

PARIS - There's a reason the cucumber is the star of its own cliche. Slender and elegant, bumpy or smooth-skinned, cucumbers really do have a cooling effect on the body, which is why they're perfect in summer salads, soups, and sides. Part of the gourd family, which includes watermelon, zucchini, pumpkin, and squash, cukes have a great nutritional profile: They're low-cal (just 13 per cup), and contain Vitamins C and A, as well as potassium, magnesium, folate, dietary fiber, and the mineral silica.

Shore dining heads inland at the Virginia Hotel (25 Jackson St., Cape May, N.J., 800-732-4236) with special two-night culinary packages. The Farm To Table Epicurean starts at $502 (for two people, through Oct. 31) and includes a trip to Cape Resorts Group's Beach Plum Farm with Executive Chef Lucas Manteca to pick out produce for dinner. The Ebbitt Room Dinner package starts at $476 (through Dec. 30) and includes a $110 voucher for the hotel's Ebbitt Room restaurant, with its locally sourced menu.

Fresh salmon, cucumbers, and tomatoes make a soothing soup supper. Gazpacho is a Spanish soup served at room temperature or chilled. Adding freshly cooked salmon creates a one-dish meal. The secret to the rich flavor of this dinner is that the salmon is cooked for just a few minutes. It may be a little red in the center when it is removed from the skillet, but it will continue to cook in its own heat. Salmon Gazpacho 1. Heat a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.

The rubber gasket was split in half on my Braun blender Sunday afternoon (as Spain was winning its first World Cup), and still I soldiered on - whizzing yet another batch of Louisa Shafia's watermelon gazpacho. I've made it four times now, in less than four weeks - serving it for dinner on our porch, gifting it to the in-laws in Cleveland, making it in a leaky Cuisinart in Oneonta, N.Y., showing my grandson, Sebastian, (now 11) that you can "cook" amazing soup without turning on the stove.

Summer can't begin until I've had my first bowl of cool gazpacho, and there's no better place to do the honors than Amada, where this warm-weather classic is transformed into a work of art. Yellow tomatoes are at the heart of chef MacGregor Mann's early-season rendition, rounded into a silky, bright puree with mellow Tuscan melons and edgy seasoning accents from Spain, from the extra-virgin olive oil (arbequina) to the sherry vinegar (sweet-tart Pedro-Ximenez) and even Catalonian bottled water.

ON SUMMER DAYS, when temperatures skyrocket, many people aren't hungry for a hot dinner. I'm in that camp, so I came up with this shrimp gazpacho recipe that makes a refreshing, healthy meal while helping me eat my vegetables. Gazpacho often calls for a generous amount of olive oil, but I slim this version down by adding extra red wine vinegar and a little Worcestershire sauce. I prefer using V-8 in this recipe, but for those who don't like that vegetable juice, toss in some tomato juice.

BLACKFISH AVALON 2109 Dune Dr., Avalon, 609-967-9100; www.blackfishrestaurant.com . Oysters topped with carbonated Meyer lemon foam and zaatar- dusted swordfish steaks over spicy merguez sausage are just two of the highlights at the new Avalon branch of the popular Conshohocken BYOB. It's already one of the Shore's finest kitchens. Dinner every day, 5:30 to 10:30 p.m. Entrees $28 to $39. BYOB. GERTRUDE'S 7309 Ventnor Ave., Ventnor, 609-823-3003; www.gertrudesventnor.

There are no diners yet at the cafe tables set on the flower-fringed sidewalk in front of Rylei. And who knows when they will come? It may still be a while before this blue-collar commercial stretch of Frankford Avenue south of Cottman is ready - spiritually, culturally, gastronomically - for the carrot-orange sorbets of a striving BYOB and the carefree bon vivant-ness of alfresco dining. But the point is that it's here: Rylei is open for business, and Northeast Philadelphia, long a virtual desert of real culinary ambition, has a pleasant new oasis to feed its hungry.