Do I ever post a recipe that doesn't come from Fine Cooking or Rick Bayless? I'm not sure. But here's another one that we loved from Fine Cooking. This one caught my eye despite the fact that I'm a diehard fan of the Moosewood Cookbook's Gazpacho recipe. That one is not at all a traditional Spanish gazpacho, but it's so light and fresh and tastes so good for you its like medicine for the soul and a mouthful of summer all in one. This one caught my eye because it was a recipe by Sarah Jay, who once served me the best Paella I've ever eaten when we were both visiting our husbands at a residency at the lovely Millay Colony, back before I'd ever heard of Fine Cooking, where she worked. I was never tempted to repeat her Paella after seeing how much washing up it required, but I figured I could handle a cold tomato soup.
The recipe is adapted from the traditional one by her Spanish mother-in-law, and it tasted so much like the ones we ate in Spain! It was full-bodied and smooth on the tongue. It's a totally different creature than the Moosewood Gazpacho, but I adore them both. Such a nice way to enjoy these late summer tomatoes!
Gazpacho
Best served icy cold, gazpacho needs to
be chilled for at least an hour. Here it's garnished with croutons for
crunch and cilantro for a burst of bright flavor, but chopped cucumbers
and onions are another traditional garnish.
Serves 4 or 5
1-3/4 lb. ripe tomatoes, cored and coarsely chopped (about 4 cups)
1/2 medium green bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and coarsely chopped (3/4 cup)
1/2 small red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and coarsely chopped (1/2 cup)
1/4 cup packed torn fresh bread, such as a soft baguette, Portuguese roll, or slice of white sandwich bread, plus 1/4 cup packed 1/2-inch cubes (crusts removed) for croutons
9 Tbs. good-quality extra-virgin olive oil; more for drizzling
2 tsp. sherry vinegar
1 small clove garlic
Kosher salt
Ground cumin
1 Tbs. chopped fresh cilantro
Put the tomatoes, bell peppers, torn bread, 6 Tbs. of the olive
oil, the vinegar, garlic, 1 tsp. salt, and a pinch or two of cumin in a
blender. Pulse until coarsely puréed, then blend until very smooth, 4 to
5 minutes (it may be a bit frothy). Season to taste with salt and
refrigerate until very cold, at least 1 hour.
Meanwhile, heat the remaining 3 Tbs. olive oil in an 8-inch skillet over medium heat. Add a bread cube; if it sizzles immediately, add the remaining cubes (if it doesn’t, continue to heat the oil). Cook, stirring frequently, until golden brown all over, about 1 minute. Transfer the croutons to paper towels to drain and cool.
Taste the gazpacho just before serving and adjust the seasonings as needed. Serve drizzled with oil and garnished with the croutons and cilantro.
Meanwhile, heat the remaining 3 Tbs. olive oil in an 8-inch skillet over medium heat. Add a bread cube; if it sizzles immediately, add the remaining cubes (if it doesn’t, continue to heat the oil). Cook, stirring frequently, until golden brown all over, about 1 minute. Transfer the croutons to paper towels to drain and cool.
Taste the gazpacho just before serving and adjust the seasonings as needed. Serve drizzled with oil and garnished with the croutons and cilantro.
This is the gazpacho we had in Spain, with the addition of 2 tsp. of lemon juice. And diced tomatoes and cucumbers to garnish, along with the croutons.
ReplyDelete