Some call it liquid salad. That’s
understandable, but there’s a lot more to gazpacho than a glass of V-8, though
you might never know it from some of the gazpachos that show up on summer menus all over the world these
days: a bowl or glass of cold, seasoned tomato juice, garnished with bits
of diced raw veggies and, sometimes, croutons.
Even those simpler “gazpachos” are refreshing on a
hot summer day – truthfully, when the heat is oppressive, any icy
concoction is welcome. But classic gazpachos offer a lot more both in flavor and texture.
There are more classic gazpachos than you might think. Like many traditional preparations,
there are almost as many variations as the cooks who make it. The
most familiar, of course, is Gazpacho Andaluz with its base of tomatoes, which originated in AndalucÃa, the
southernmost region of Spain, gateway to the Mediterranean and practically
spitting distance from the northern coast of Africa. Tomatoes
didn’t become a part of Spanish cuisine until they were brought back
from the Americas, however, and there are tomato-less gazpachos still popular today
from Málaga (made with almonds and garlic, garnished with grapes)
and Extremadura (made with bread, peppers, and cucumbers), that hark back
to an even more distant time of Moorish rule. Contemporary Spanish
chefs are pushing the boundaries of gazpacho. The New Spanish Table cookbook, authored by Anya von Bremzen, has recipes not
only for traditional gazpachos, but also such variations as Cherry and Beet, Strawberry
and Fennel, and Almond with Figs and Edible Flowers.
I’ve tried some of those, but, good as they can
be, when the tomatoes are ripe and the weather is hot, I always come back
to the original – made with a bit of good bread for body, and the
uniquely Spanish flavor of sherry vinegar. (See note below recipe.)
The most refined versions of gazpacho are prepared by
blending the ingredients to a fine purée and then pushing it through
a strainer to remove fiber. I prefer the texture of the unstrained mixture
(I’m fond of rustic preparations in general, but there’s no
denying I’d also rather avoid the trouble and mess of straining),
feel free to strain it if you’d prefer.
Gazpacho was served as a
chilled soup long before versions frozen into sorbets or semifreddos
(literally half-frozen – a.k.a., slushies) came on the scene with the
advent of modern refrigeration. I like gazpacho
semifreddo as a first course, but if I’m
having a big bowl of gazpacho as a main course, garnished with seafood on hot summer
days, I prefer it chilled, but not frozen. Although if the weather’s
hot enough and we’re eating outside, the gazpacho semifreddo will melt
down as we eat; keeping the last bite as cool as the first.
CLASSIC GAZPACHO ANDALUZ
1 c. tomato juice (Campbell’s preferred) or
V-8 juice, plus additional if
needed
1 1/2 c. bread from good quality
white sandwich loaf or baguette,
French, Italian,
etc., crusts removed and torn
into small pieces
4 c. dead ripe, seeded and chopped red
(they’ll give the finished
soup better color)
tomatoes, peeled if desired
1 c. stemmed, seeded, and chopped red bell pepper
1 c. peeled, seeded and diced cucumber
1 c. peeled and chopped sweet onion, such as
Vidalia, Candy, or Walla Walla
1/4 c. flavorful extra virgin olive oil
4 – 6 T. red wine, balsamic, or sherry* vinegar
1 1/2 tsp. minced fresh garlic
or to taste
1/2 – 1 tsp. freshly ground pepper
Salt to taste, optional
Optional Garnishes:
Chopped red, green, or other colored bell peppers
Chopped cucumbers
Tomatoes – yellow, pink, green, or black make
especially colorful garnishes
Thinly sliced scallions
Cooked seafood: crabmeat, shrimp, bay scallops,
or lobster, cut into bite-sized
pieces if necessary
Soak the bread in the tomato juice to soften while
you prepare the other ingredients.
Purée the bread and juice mixture along with
the remaining ingredients except the salt and pepper in an electric blender
until completely smooth, using the smaller amount of vinegar. You
will probably need to do this in batches. Place the mixture as it is
puréed into a large bowl. When finished, whisk to thoroughly
combine and then season to taste with pepper, additional vinegar if needed
and salt. (You may or may not need to add any salt.) Refrigerate until
thoroughly chilled before serving.
Serve in chilled bowls or shallow glasses, such as
martini glasses. If using seafood, top with about 1-2 T. seafood per
?(one half) c. of gazpacho, and sprinkle with additional garnishes as
desired.
Serves 6 – 12
GAZPACHO SEMIFREDDO
Put the blended mixture (without garnishes) in a
large flat pan – at least 11″x13″ or even larger for a
quicker freezing time. Place in the freezer on a level surface and
freeze for about 45 minutes, or until the top and edges are iced over and
beginning to freeze. Remove the pan and stir the frozen part into the
liquid part until thoroughly combined. Return the pan to the freezer,
removing the pan and stirring every 15 minutes until the mixture forms a
thick slush, but is not completely frozen. This should take about ?
hour, but will vary depending on the size of the pan and your freezer.
NOTE: Leftovers may be refrozen until solid
(without garnishes), then removed from freezer until partially unthawed.
Process in a food processor or mash to achieve a slushy consistency as
before.
About Sherry Vinegar
Sherry vinegar is one of the great ingredients of
Spanish cooking. I find its nutty mellow tang is indispensable, not
just in gazpacho, but in vinaigrettes, and a host of other sauces and
preparations – in fact, I always have one opened bottle, and another
unopened in my pantry. As soon as the first bottle is empty, I open
the second, and buy another to store, so that I never risk being without.
Sherry vinegar is available locally at Incredibly Delicious, 925 S. 7th Street,
528-8548, www.incrediblydelicious.com
This article appears in Aug 14-20, 2008.
