Tomato Tomato Tomato Gazpacho!
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If you have a late-summer bounty of tomatoes and cucumbers, I have a Gazpacho recipe for you to try. Which is funny because I normally DO NOT LIKE gazpacho … but I loved this one.
Aptly named, Best Gazpacho, Julia Moskin explains that this recipe delivers the smooth style of gazpacho served in Seville, Spain. And as an avowed gazpacho-hater, I’m shocked to tell you that it is indeed both smooth and delicious. And easy to make.
All you need is a very strong blender, ‘2 pounds of ripe red tomatoes’ (this is about 6 ‘baseball-sized’ tomatoes, according to the kitchn website) one large cucumber, a pepper, and some sherry vinegar. The rest you probably have on hand. Get the full recipe here: Best Gazpacho. For a PDF version, click: Best Gazpacho PDF.
A few tips based on my experience making this yesterday:
- If you can’t find a ‘cubanelle’ / frying pepper, try an Anaheim pepper (both are mild, skinny green peppers)
- If you can’t find EITHER a cubanelle pepper or an Anaheim pepper (as happened to me), you can use a yellow or red bell pepper — though you’ll be missing a little heat. I used about 1/2 of a yellow bell pepper and added a dash of ‘medium’ chili pepper to add a tiny bit of spice.
- If you do not care for raw garlic taste in your mouth, consider leaving it out. Some of the comments suggested that and I should have; it does impart a bit of raw garlic aftertaste…
- Sherry vinegar is a key ingredient in David Tanis’ fabulous Mustard Vinaigrette… if you aren’t familiar with sherry vinegar, it’s available at most grocery stores and is worth buying for this gazpacho AND that mustard vinaigrette!
- It does take a while (and splashes) to strain it, but it is worth doing. My favorite is the Columela 30-year sherry vinegar which I have purchased at Stop & Shop for about $10 (Amazon link below for $20 – not sure why it’s so expensive on Amazon right now but you can see the picture… am sure other sherry vinegars also great – just make sure it’s vinegar and NOT a vinegar glaze!)
- As for timing: Ms. Moskin’s recipe calls for refrigerating it for 6 hours before serving, so something to keep in mind. That said, some commenters indicate that’s not necessary.
So if you’re looking for something to do with a whack of tomatoes, you might want to give this recipe a try. It’s heart-healthy, easy-to-make, looks better than my lame “today’s-lunch” photo above, and tastes delicious.
