When you’ve been cooking for as many years as I have, you gradually develop a repertoire. There are certain standout dishes that you come to be known for. This is one of mine. I’m kind of surprised that I’m even sharing it with you–I consider it one of my kitchen secrets. In many ways, gazpacho is perfect food to me. I know I keep going on about how much I love soup, but this one is in a class by itself. Eating gazpacho is like drinking a salad–the flavor is bright and refreshing. For a recent tapas party, I prepared a more refined version of this soup that was pureed and strained to a fine pulp. It was pink and lovely and I served it in little shot glasses, drizzled with fine Spanish olive oil and garnished with tiny croutons. But this is my favorite recipe–it has amazing texture, tang and taste. What a wonderful way to make the most of summer’s bounty.
Gazpacho
Trust me when I say, you will want to make a big batch of this soup. More than ever, it is important that you use the best produce you can find. Ripe tomatoes, bell peppers, cucumbers, red onion and a combination of fresh herbs create the base of this soup. The flavor is enhanced with celery seed, hot sauce, sherry vinegar and olive oil. In true Spanish style, bread adds to the texture.
A food processor is your friend for this recipe. After making this soup for many years, I’ve found it’s best to make it in batches. My technique is to process the solid vegetables first, and then puree the tomatoes and other liquids, adding the bread and spices. Mix the batches together in a large bowl to blend all the flavors. The beauty part is that the vegetables only need to be roughly chopped beforehand.
Peel, seed and coarsely chop a hothouse cucumber. Seed and chop multi-colored bell peppers, a small red onion, and a couple of garlic cloves. Puree the vegetables in the food processor and place in a large bowl.
I like to use a variety of tomatoes for my gazpacho, especially since it’s usually difficult to find many ripe ones. Beefsteaks and plum tomatoes are my favorite, along with some canned whole tomatoes to add body. Roughly chop and puree the beefsteak and plum tomatoes in the processor. Coarsely chop a mix of fresh herbs, such as basil, parsley, cilantro, and oregano; process with tomatoes. Add to the bowl with other vegetables.
In the processor bowl, puree the canned whole tomatoes. I prefer to use Muir Glen organic tomatoes–they have a clean, fresh taste. To the puree, add sherry vinegar, extra virgin olive oil, hot sauce, celery seed, kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Remove the crust from a small bread, preferably day old, and break the flesh into large chunks. Add to the tomatoes and process. Pour into the large bowl with other vegetables.
Stir together the batches in the bowl–adding 1/2 cup or more of water to thin the soup to desired consistency. Be sure to taste and adjust seasoning, but keep in mind the flavors of this soup will intensify as they chill. For a garnish, finely dice a kirby cucumber and several scallions and prep leaves of parsley or cilantro.
It is absolutely crucial that gazpacho be allowed to sit and refrigerate for at least a few hours so that the flavors can meld and develop. That being said, sometimes even the cook can’t wait. So here I improvised by icing down the portion I planned to eat right away.
The rest of my scrumptious soup was happily waiting for me–the perfect lunch to pack up and take along to the beach the next day, when its flavor was even more intense and delectable…
Serves 8 (or more):
1 hothouse or english cucumber
2 to 3 bell peppers, assorted colors
1 small red onion
2 to 3 garlic cloves, peeled
3 pounds tomatoes, beefsteak & plum
1/2 cup fresh herbs, such as basil, parsley, cilantro, oregano
14 ounces canned whole tomatoes
1/4 cup sherry wine vinegar
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon hot sauce
3/4 teaspoon celery seed
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 small bread (preferably day old)
1/2 to 3/4 cup water
1 kirby cucumber
3 scallions
herb leaves
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Hi Pen, I want to make gazpacho this weekend so I found your recipe for it in the passioneats archives. When I saw that you sometimes serve it in shot glasses, I was thinking that for an adults-only party, you could lace it with good vodka for bloody gazpacho shots. Anyway, I love your recipe. Love, Mom
Thanks Pennie, I know if you have made it once and it was good, IT IS GOOD!!! Namaste,Kathleen