Gazpacho

[Bryce]

Any tips? Had this last weekend visiting a buddy at his lake place and loved it. Going to make it for a party tomorrow.

[delcecchi]

For reference here are a couple things from cooks illustrated.

Gazpacho

Published July 1, 2001.

Makes about 3 quarts, serving 8 to 10.

Why this recipe works:

For the best gazpacho recipe, with clearly flavored, distinct vegetables in a bracing tomato broth, we chopped the vegetables by hand, tossed them in a sherry vinegar marinade, used a fresh-flavored tomato juice, and chilled our soup for a minimum of four hours.

This recipe makes a large quantity because the leftovers are so good, but it can be halved if you prefer. Traditionally, diners garnish their gazpacho with more of the same diced vegetables that are in the soup, so cut some extra vegetables when you prepare those called for in the recipe. Additional garnish possibilities include simple garlic croutons, chopped pitted black olives, chopped hard-cooked eggs, and finely diced avocados. For a finishing touch, serve in chilled bowls.

Ingredients

3 ripe medium beefsteak tomatoes (about 1 1/2 pounds), cored and cut into 1/4-inch cubes (about 4 cups)

2 small red bell peppers (about 1 pound), cored, seeded, and cut into slices (following illustrations below), then into 1/4-inch cubes (about 2 cups)

2 small cucumbers (about 1 pound), one peeled and the other with skin on, both seeded and cut into 1/4-inch cubes (about 2 cups)

1/2 small sweet onion (such as Vidalia, Maui, or Walla Walla) or 2 large shallots, peeled and minced (about 1/2 cup)

2 medium garlic cloves , minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 2 teaspoons)

2teaspoons table salt

1/3cup sherry vinegar

Ground black pepper

5cups tomato juice , preferably Welch's

1teaspoon hot pepper sauce (optional)

8 ice cubes

Extra-virgin olive oil for serving

Instructions

1. Combine the tomatoes, bell peppers, cucumbers, onions, garlic, salt, vinegar, and pepper in a large (at least 4-quart) nonreactive bowl. Let stand until the vegetables just begin to release their juices, about 5 minutes. Stir in the tomato juice, hot pepper sauce, if using, and ice cubes. Cover tightly and refrigerate to blend flavors, at least 4 hours and up to 2 days.

2. Adjust the seasonings with salt and pepper and remove and discard any unmelted ice cubes. Serve cold, drizzling each portion with about 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil and topping with the desired garnishes, (see top note).

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Published July 1, 2010.

Most Americans know gazpacho as a chunky liquid salsa. In Spain, the most famous version is a creamy puree. But to get it right, we’d need more than just a good blender.

The Problem

Most cooks rely on supermarket produce for their homemade gazpacho. Even the highest-quality store-bought tomatoes and veggies can taste bland and watery, making for bland and watery soup.

The Goal

Instead of the salsa-y gazpacho common in America, we wanted to make a creamy version of the soup popular in Andalusia, a southern region of Spain. This gazpacho is creamy and startlingly complex, with the bright, fresh flavor of naturally ripened vegetables.

The Solution

Andalusian gazpacho combines cucumber, bell pepper, onion, and tomatoes with a slice of bread (for body), a generous glug of extra-virgin olive oil, and a bracing shot of sherry vinegar. The entire mixture is pureed in a blender. In our first attempts at this recipe, we softened the bread in water and added two cloves of garlic. Our soup was smooth and emulsified, but horribly bland. Swapping a green pepper for the traditional red was an improvement, and a single serrano chile added a touch of heat. But the real challenge was figuring out how to coax the most flavor from supermarket tomatoes.

Our research revealed that a tomato’s flavor is built up in its cells, and the key to improving the taste of an inferior supermarket tomato is to burst those cells. We decided to try salting the tomatoes and letting them sit. The salt pulls out water-soluble flavor compounds as it forces the proteins to separate from those compounds, releasing more flavor. We tossed diced tomatoes in kosher salt, came back an hour later, and pureed them along with their exuded juice. Sure enough, this puree boasted a deep, full flavor that was clearly superior to that of plain pureed tomatoes. Following the same process with the other vegetables yielded our finest soup yet. As a last flavor-boosting step, we soaked the bread in the exuded vegetable juices instead of water. A final dash of olive oil and sherry vinegar on top of the finished soup further brightened the flavor. After a diced-vegetable garnish and sprinkle of fresh herbs, our soup looked as fresh and flavorful as it tasted.

The key to fresh tomato flavor in our creamy gazpacho Andaluz recipe was salting the tomatoes and letting them sit to release more flavor. We then followed the same process with the other vegetables—cucumber, bell pepper, and onion—and soaked the bread, which we used to thicken the soup, in the exuded vegetable juices. A final dash of olive oil and sherry vinegar further brightened the flavor of our gazpacho, and a diced-vegetable garnish made our creamy gazpacho recipe look as fresh as it tasted.

For ideal flavor, allow the gazpacho to sit in the refrigerator overnight before serving. Red wine vinegar can be substituted for the sherry vinegar. Although we prefer to use kosher salt in this soup, half the amount of table salt can be used. Serve the soup with additional extra-virgin olive oil, sherry vinegar, ground black pepper, and diced vegetables for diners to season and garnish their own bowls as desired.

Ingredients

3pounds (about 6 medium) ripe tomatoes , cored

1small cucumber , peeled, halved, and seeded

1medium green bell pepper , halved, cored and seeded

1small red onion , peeled and halved

2medium garlic cloves , peeled and quartered

1small serrano chile , stemmed and halved lengthwise

Kosher salt (see note)

1slice high-quality white sandwich bread , crust removed, torn into 1-inch pieces

1/2cup extra virgin olive oil , plus extra for serving

2tablespoons sherry vinegar , plus extra for serving (see note)

2tablespoons finely minced parsley , chives, or basil leaves

Ground black pepper

Instructions

1. Roughly chop 2 pounds of tomatoes, half of cucumber, half of bell pepper, and half of onion and place in large bowl. Add garlic, chile, and 1½ teaspoons salt; toss until well combined. Set aside.

2. Cut remaining tomatoes, cucumber, and pepper into ¼-inch dice; place vegetables in medium bowl. Mince remaining onion and add to diced vegetables. Toss with ½ teaspoon salt and transfer to fine-mesh strainer set over medium bowl. Set aside 1 hour.

3. Transfer drained diced vegetables to medium bowl and set aside. Add bread pieces to exuded liquid (there should be about ¼ cup) and soak 1 minute. Add soaked bread and any remaining liquid to roughly chopped vegetables and toss thoroughly to combine.

4. Transfer half of vegetable-bread mixture to blender and process 30 seconds. With blender running, slowly drizzle in ¼ cup oil and continue to blend until completely smooth, about 2 minutes. Strain soup through fine-mesh strainer into large bowl, using back of ladle or rubber spatula to press soup through strainer. Repeat with remaining vegetable-bread mixture and 1/4 cup olive oil.

5. Stir vinegar, minced herb, and half of diced vegetables into soup and season to taste with salt and black pepper. Cover and refrigerate overnight or for at least 2 hours to chill completely and develop flavors. Serve, passing remaining diced vegetables, olive oil, sherry vinegar, and black pepper separately.

(be sure to drizzle oil rather than all at once)

And for the lazy....

Quick Food Processor Gazpacho

Published July 1, 2001.

Makes about 3 quarts, serving 8 to 10.

Why this recipe works:

For the best gazpacho recipe, with clearly flavored, distinct vegetables in a bracing tomato broth, we chopped the vegetables separately in a food processor, tossed them in a sherry vinegar marinade, used a fresh-flavored tomato juice, and chilled our soup for a minimum of four hours.

Traditionally, diners garnish their gazpacho with more of the same diced vegetables that are in the soup, so cut some extra vegetables when you prepare those called for in the recipe. Additional garnish possibilities include simple garlic croutons (see recipe), chopped pitted black olives, chopped hard-cooked eggs, and finely diced avocados. For a finishing touch, serve in chilled bowls.

Ingredients

3 ripe medium beefsteak tomatoes (about 1 1/2 pounds), cored and quartered

2 medium red bell peppers (about 1 pound), cored, seeded, and cut into rough 1-inch pieces

2 small cucumbers (about 1 pound), one peeled and the other with skin on, both seeded and cut into rough 1-inch pieces

1/2 small sweet onion (such as Vidalia, Maui, or Walla Walla) or 2 large shallots, peeled and minced (about 1/2 cup)

2medium cloves garlic , minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 2 teaspoons)

2teaspoons table salt

1/3cup sherry vinegar

Ground black pepper

5cups tomato juice

1teaspoon hot pepper sauce (optional)

8 ice cubes

Extra virgin olive oil for serving

Instructions

1. Process tomatoes in workbowl of food processor fitted with steel blade until broken down into 1/4- to 1-inch pieces, about twelve 1-second pulses; transfer to large bowl. Process peppers and cucumbers, separately, until broken down into 1/4- to 1-inch pieces, about twelve 1-second pulses; add to bowl with tomatoes. Add the onion, garlic, salt, vinegar, and ground pepper to taste. Let stand until vegetables just begin to release their juices, about 5 minutes. Stir in tomato juice, hot pepper sauce, if using, and ice cubes; cover tightly and refrigerate to blend flavors, at least 4 hours and up to 2 days.

2. Adjust seasonings with salt and pepper, remove and discard any unmelted ice cubes, and serve cold, drizzling each portion with about 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil and with desired garnishes (see note). (Can be covered and refrigerated up to 2 days.)

[jentz]

The main thing with gazpacho is Fresh ingrediants! Cant beat fresh aginst caned or preserved!!

[Bryce]

.

[delcecchi]

Everything looks good except for those disgusting green things.

(I don't care for cucumbers. One of the few things I don't eat)

On the other hand I love tomatoes. And onions. and....

[Bryce]

One is a zucchini. Used about a third of it. Rest went on the chicken kabobs.

Resting and seasoning. Left it a bit on the chunky side but flavor is great. Hope to post a presentation shot.

[Bryce]

Pretty good.