Gazpacho!

I know there must be some awesome Gazpahco recipes that are B&B Brethren tested and approved.

I've been jonesing for gazpacho since I went to a local restaurant last week and had a really great rendition of it. It was a a chunky style with a base/broth that was smooth, fresh and light, but had some body, not watery. Garnished with some herbed creme freche. Was so delicious.

Who's got nice tried and true recipe?

Gazpacho

INGREDIENTS

• 1 large tomato, cut into chunks
• 2-inch piece cucumber, peeled, seeded, and chopped
• 2-inch-wide strip bell pepper, chopped
• 1 small garlic clove, finely grated
• 1/4 teaspoon sherry vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon red-wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for serving
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• Toasted country bread, for serving
• Shaved Manchego cheese, for serving

DIRECTIONS

• In a food processor, puree tomato until almost smooth. Add cucumber, bell pepper, garlic, vinegars, and oil and season with salt and pepper. Pulse until mostly smooth.
  
• Chill soup in the refrigerator 30 minutes (or up to 8 hours). Adjust seasoning; thin with water if necessary. Brush bread with oil. Serve soup drizzled with oil and topped with cheese, with bread alongside.
  
  

Have you ever tried white gazpacho? I can't eat raw tomatoes (sob), so I love the white version. Uses stale bread, chicken stock, blanched almonds, green grapes, cucumbers, olive oil, and garlic.

A local restaurant (sadly now closed) served its gazpacho with a pile of lump crabmeat piled on the middle of the bowl...yum!!

I always throw the incredients together based upon what I have on hand at the time and never have a recipe. I always blanch the large tomatoes so that I can peel off the skin. I halve or quarter them and remove the seeds before processing. Typically I'll use a pint or so of cherry/grape tomatoes that I dont skin or de-seed - these just get processed as is. I de-seed the cucumber, but leave the skin on. I also use a red or green bell pepper and sometimes a chili pepper if I want a kick. The garlic, I saute in olive oil for a minute, because I find that even a small amount of raw garlic is too overpowering in gazpacho. Seasoning is always sea salt, freshly ground black pepper and good olive oil (this is a key ingredient). Usually I use balsalmic vinegar. I might use some smoked paprika if I'm in the mood for a nice smokey flavor. Maybe a bit of cumin. I think that's about it.

Vespasian said:

Have you ever tried white gazpacho? I can't eat raw tomatoes (sob), so I love the white version. Uses stale bread, chicken stock, blanched almonds, green grapes, cucumbers, olive oil, and garlic.

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You're not missing anything with the tomatoes... they're no good ;-). I've not had any "white" gazpacho, I've never seen it in a restaurant or given it a thought. My wife hates tomatoes, so I might poke around for a recipe. I know that people sometimes use watermelon in gazpacho, so that might be a worth a try for you. Also, If you like beets you might try borscht.

DoctorShavegood said:

Gazpacho

INGREDIENTS

• 1 large tomato, cut into chunks
• 2-inch piece cucumber, peeled, seeded, and chopped
• 2-inch-wide strip bell pepper, chopped
• 1 small garlic clove, finely grated
• 1/4 teaspoon sherry vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon red-wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for serving
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• Toasted country bread, for serving
• Shaved Manchego cheese, for serving

DIRECTIONS

• In a food processor, puree tomato until almost smooth. Add cucumber, bell pepper, garlic, vinegars, and oil and season with salt and pepper. Pulse until mostly smooth.
• Chill soup in the refrigerator 30 minutes (or up to 8 hours). Adjust seasoning; thin with water if necessary. Brush bread with oil. Serve soup drizzled with oil and topped with cheese, with bread alongside.

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I need to make this. Been meaning to make Borscht, too.

One of my summer favorites. Fresh and well chilled with a good dollop of sour cream.

Last year we went to the local Mexican restaurant near my office. I ask the server if they had any gazpacho. He checked in the kitchen, and yes they did. It was delicious, a little spicy, with shrimp and calamari. The owner was running the cash register when we left, and I told him how much I enjoyed the gazpacho, and the calamari was a nice touch. Turns out, the server had brought me his lunch. The owner had made a special batch just for himself earlier that day.

Mike H said:

Last year we went to the local Mexican restaurant near my office. I ask the server if they had any gazpacho. He checked in the kitchen, and yes they did. It was delicious, a little spicy, with shrimp and calamari. The owner was running the cash register when we left, and I told him how much I enjoyed the gazpacho, and the calamari was a nice touch. Turns out, the server had brought me his lunch. The owner had made a special batch just for himself earlier that day.

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Good gazpacho, Good service.

DoctorShavegood said:

Good gazpacho, Good service.

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Yes, but did the waiter keep his job? Selling the boss' lunch might be a fireable offense....

langod said:

Yes, but did the waiter keep his job? Selling the boss' lunch might be a fireable offense....

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You haven't been back to see?

No, server did not get fired. He has had the same guys working for him for years. The carnitas are great also, but he has this black bean soup that is outstanding.

Mike H said:

No, server did not get fired. He has had the same guys working for him for years. The carnitas are great also, but he has this black bean soup that is outstanding.

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Oops, sorry Mike, I clicked the wrong quote.

So, I took some ideas from here and some other recipes and Frankenstein'd a chunky Gazpacho recipe. It came out awesome!

Gazpacho - Very Chunky
Serves 6-8

8 cups tomato juice with one cup reserved. (I think bottled juice -- like Campbell's -- is "fresher" tasting than canned.)
6 ripe Roma tomatoes
2 cucumbers, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 small red onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, seeded and coarsely chopped
1 poblano, anaheim or green bell pepper, seeded and finely chopped
1/4 cup fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1/2 tsp cumin
2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup fresh squeezed lime juice
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
Several shakes of hot sauce (I used Crystal)
--
Extra virgin olive oil (optional)
Goat Cheese, crumbled (optional)

In a food processor, pulse 4 of the tomatoes until just pureed. Coarsely chop the remaining two.
Note: You can blanch and seed the tomatoes if you want, but I didn't bother and it came out fine.

In a large glass bowl or 1 gallon pitcher, combine the pureed and chopped tomatoes with 7 cups of tomato juice and the remainder of the ingredients up through hot sauce.
Cover and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight.
Taste for seasoning and heat, and adjust if necessary.
Add the reserved cup of tomato juice if you would like the soup to be thinner.

Ladle into bowls and garnish with crumbled goat cheese, olive oil and a sprinkle of black pepper.

langod said:

So, I took some ideas from here and some other recipes and Frankenstein'd a chunky Gazpacho recipe. It came out awesome!

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Nice! I made a batch this weekend as well. I happened upon a farmer's market so I grabbed some supplies. As per the usual, I have no recipe, but here is roughly what I did:
1 Quart San Marzano tomoatoes
1 Quart Grape tomatoes
1 Large cucumber - 18" or so
1 green bell pepper
2 cloves garlic
One Lime (juice from)
Seasonings to taste:
Sea salt
Black pepper - freshly ground
Cumin
Smoked Paprika (take it easy, the smokiness can overpower the batch)
EVOO
Balsalmic Vinegar


I blanched the San Marzano's. Peeled and de-seeded. All the seed byproducts went into a mesh strainer to salvage all that flavorful juice, back into the batch. press it through the strainer so all you have left are the seeds and some pulp.

The tomatoes go into the food processor and are pureed. I did the san Marzanos in one batch and the grapes in the other. I pureed all, as I tend to like the smoother gazpacho. Keeping out some of the tomatoes to chop coarsely is a great way to chunk it up if you're so inclined. I chopped and quick sauteed the garlic in some olive oil. The garlic then went into the food processor with the bell pepper and de-seeded cucumber to be pulverized. I poured the garlicky olive oil into the bowl along with some more evoo, balsalmic vinegar and lime juice. I gave it quick stir and then seasoned to taste with fresh black pepper, salt, smoked paprika, and cumin. I've been serving mine with pepitas to give a nice contrasting texture.

I'm the only one in my house that eats this stuff. it was a good sized batch and it lasted me like 18 hours.

Jim, you need to look up White Gazpacho.

Chef John's White Gazpacho-allrecipes.com

This cold cucumber soup is an elegant first course for a garden party. Pureed smooth and garnished with almonds and grapes, it's a refreshing recipe for summer."
INGREDIENTS:
DIRECTIONS:

When I'm in a hurry and just want a batch of quick gazpacho I'll do it in a food processor, but I like it ever so much more when I take the time to chop up all of the vegetables by hand into fairly small chunks. Takes a bit of time but worth the effort if I've got the time.