Cold soup for hot times, Baltimore: Gazpacho
Foodwise Baltimore
Above: Gazpacho, that cold, sweet-savory vegetable “soup” that we might just as easily call “Summer in a Bowl.”
With the abundance of tomatoes and the extreme weather we have been having (more heat and humidity in the forecast today) it seems only natural to present one version of the traditional summer soup of southern Spain – gazpacho.
Speculation is that this refreshing, cold tomato-based, garlic-spiked concoction has its origin in an Arab soup of bread, olive oil, garlic and water that came to Spain from the Moors or Romans. in Spain. (Editors note: I inserted this Wikipedia-based sentence into Francine’s story and she tells me that our Spanish Brew readers are right and I, the meddling editor, am wrong! She suggests Clifford A. Wright as the last word on gazpacho’s origins, so there you are. -F.S.)
Like so many regional recipes it is very adaptable. Thought of as a luncheon dish, it also makes a terrific late dinner on a summer evening. A tangy green salad, some crusty bread and a bottle of Spanish Cava or a Portugese vinho verde to accompany it and the heat of the day recedes.
Tomatoes, cucumbers, garlic, onions and other ingredients for our Gazpacho. (Photo by Francine Halvorsen)
GAZPACHO
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon sugar
½ cup extra-virgin Spanish (or other dark green) olive oil
4 slices of French bread, crusts removed and torn in pieces
2 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced
10 large ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped
2 jalapeno peppers, halved, seeded, and minced (optional or to taste)
2 large cucumbers, seeded, and diced
1 red sweet pepper, seeded and diced
1 sweet green pepper, peeled seeded and diced
I large Spanish onion, diced
1 cup sun-dried tomatoes in oil, minced (either made from scratch or in a jar)
1 quart tomato juice
3 tablespoons sherry or any wine vinegar
½ cup flat leafed parsley, minced, for garnish
1/3 cup cilantro, minced for garnish
Garlic croutons, for garnish Recipe follows:
Method:
Combine all of the vegetables in a large bowl except for parsley and cilantro. Stir and pulse, coarsely, in blender or processor. I think it is best to have it too chunky rather than too thin. Return to bowl, cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving. Stir and garnish with parsley, cilantro and garlic croutons. If you like toasted almonds are also a nice addition.
yield: 3 quarts
GARLIC CROUTONS
ingredients:
4 slices of bakery bread such as sourdough
1/3 cup Spanish olive oil
3 cloves of minced garlic
½ teaspoon garlic powder
method:
pre-heat oven to 400º
Cut crust from bread and cut in ½ inch cubes.
Mix oil garlic, and seasoning in a bowl. Stir bread into oil mixture so that all sides are coated. Place on baking sheet, bake 10 minutes cool on rack and serve immediately or store in airtight container for up to 2 days.