FIVE RECIPES FOR GAZPACHO

These recipes are all basically the same - tomatoes, onion, bell pepper, cucumber, lemon juice, olive oil and some basic liquid, some with water, some with tomato juice. This first one, from the NY Times, makes 8-16 servings (depends on how hungry your friends are, and whether you serve this as a main course or as an appetizer) and requires making first and holding overnight.

RECIPE # 1

serves 8-16

1 C chopped peeled tomatoes

1 C chopped peeled red onions

1 C chopped green pepper

1 C chopped English cucumber

1 1/2 t chopped peeled garlic

1 1/2 t kosher salt

1/4 t cayenne pepper

1/4 C tomato paste

1 T white wine vinegar

1/4 C plus 2 T extra virgin olive oil

1 T fresh lemon juice

3 C tomato juice

sprig of fresh thyme

1. In a large non-reactive mixing bowl, combine all ingredients. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

2. The next day remove sprig of thyme. Using a blender, puree remaining ingredients until smooth. For a smoother texture, the soup may be strained. Refrigerate soup until well chilled. Ladle soup into chilled bowls and serve.

RECIPE #2

serves 6

This next recipe calls for jalapeno peppers as well as cayenne and softens the whole thing with whipped cream at the end. An interesting change, but a version I would serve only to those who liked hot stuff!

 

1 cucumber, peeled, seeded and diced

2 red bell pepper, cored, seeded and diced

3 ripe beefsteak tomatoes, diced

1 small red onion, diced

2 jalapenos, minced

1/4 C Sherry vinegar

3/4 C virgin olive oil

salt and cayenne pepper to taste

tomato juice, if necessary

whipped cream for garnish

finely chopped mint for garnish

1. Mix together cucumber, peppers, tomatoes and onion. Add garlic, jalapenos, vinegar and olive oil. Marinate in the refrigerator for 6-8 hours.

2. Place mixture in a blender, puree, then strain. Add salt and pepper and, if mixture is too thick, some chilled tomato juice. Garnish with whipped cream and chopped mint, folded in.

RECIPE #3

serves 8-10

This one feels like a healthy lunch, with salad and croutons. From Ina Garten, who loves garlic. So you'd better love it too (or cut down on the quantity).

2 hothouse (English) cucumbers, halved and seeded, but not peeled (remove the plastic)

3 red bell peppers, cored and seeded

8 plum tomatoes (so you can make this in the winter, when these are always good)

2 red onions, not too large

6 cloves garlic, minced

6 C tomato juice

1/2 C white wine vinegar

1/2 C good olive oil

1 T kosher salt

1 1/2 t freshly ground black pepper

1. Rough chop the cucumbers, bell peppers, tomatoes, and red onions into 1 inch cubes. Put each vegetable separately into a food processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse until it is coarsely chopped. Do not overprocess!

2. After each vegetable is processed, combine them in a large bowl and add the garlic, bomato juice, vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper. Mix well and chill before serving. The longer it sits, the more flavor it develops.

Note: Sacramento brand tomato juice has the most flavor and makes a huge difference in the the final product.

RECIPE #4

serves 6

And here, one from Mark Bittman, who claims to know How to Cook Everything. He claims there is no "correct" recipe for gazpacho and that any cold soup with vegetables and vinegar qualifies. However, this one, with the usual ingredients, is conventional, fast and fresh-tasting.

about 3 lb ripe tomatoes, cored, peeled, seeded and roughly chopped

1 red or yellow bell pepper, stemmed, peeled if desired, seeded and roughly chopped

2 English cucumbers, peeled and roubly chopped

4 slices good stale white bread (about 4 oz) crusts removed

6 C cold water.

1 large or 2 small cloves garlic, peeled (he doesn't like it as much as Ina Garten)

1/4 C sherry or good wine vinegar, or to taste

1/2 C extra virgin olive oil

salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

Croutons (which you can buy, or use stuffing) for garnish (optional)

1. Mince a bit of the tomato, pepper, and cucumber for garnish and set aside. Soak the bread in 1 cup of the water for 5 minutes, then squeeze out the excess water.

2. Place the bread in the container of a blender of food processor with the remaining tomato, pepper, cucumber, and water, as well as the garlic and vinegar, process until smooth, then add the olive oil slowly, with the machine running.

3. Season with salt and pepper and regrigerate until ready to serve; the flavor will improve over a few hours. Before serving, check seasonings again. Garnish with reserved tomato, pepper and cucumber and, if desired, grnish with croutons.

Note: if the tomatoes are not ripe, don't try this. Use the plum tomatoes recommended in recipe #3

Oh, and one more from Julee and Sheila, who claim gazpacho could have come from India or China and that what we think of as gazpacho is really eaten more by Americans than by the Spanish. They claim they even throw a little vodka in this one so it becomes a kind of bloody mary. Ole!

RECIPE #5

serves 8-10

1/2 C red wine vinegar

1/2 C extra virgin olive oil

6 large ripe tomatoes, coarsely chopped, with their juice

1 1/2 C canned tomato juice

3 eggs, lightly beaten

2 red bell peppers, cored, seeded and coarsely chopped

2 onions, coarsely chopped

2 large shallots, peeled and coarsely chopped

2 large cucumbers, coarsely chopped

pinch cayenne pepper

salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1/2 C fresh chopped dill

1. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the vinegar, olive oil, reserved fresh tomato juice, canned tomato juice and eggs.

2. Puree the vegetables in small batches in a blender or food processor, adding the tomato juice mixture gradually to keep the blades from clogging. Do not puree completely; the gazpacho should retain some of its crunch.

3. Stir in the cayenne, salt and pepper and dill. Cover and chill for at least 4 hours.

4. When you are ready to serve, stir the soup, taste and correct the seasonings, and ladle it into chilled bowls or mugs. Add vodka at your own risk!

Out of all these versions, I'm sure you can create one of your own. I would skip the eggs and bread, cut down on the garlic and be sure to use ripe tomatoes. I'd also skin the tomatoes, which can be easily done by cutting an X in the end of the tomato opposite the stem end, and immersing the tomato briefly in boiling water. Then the skin peels easily from the cut X. When I do this, I hold the tomato with a kitchen fork all through the process. This prevents waiting until the tomato is cool.