Gazpacho

serves 4

Gazpacho = cold Spanish tomato soup. Ever heard of it? It’s one of our all-time favorite warm weather treats, especially when the garden is going crazy in July and August. One of the great advantages of gazpacho is that it can be personalized (make the soup with tomatoes, top it with whichever vegetables you prefer), as well as easily adapted (one of our favorite variations is made with tomatillos instead of tomatoes). There’s also something sort of hilariously kitsch about it. It’s the fondue of the 80’s and 90’s: after every couple got three fondue pots at their wedding, the whole idea just took on this maize and olive green 1970’s hue of culinary disrepute. Fondue is back now, and I think gazpacho is on its way. Who could say no to such extreme freshness? Who could deny the dish that tormented Arnold J. Rimmer to his very soul? If you don’t know what I’m talking about, you can watch the video below to see clips (someone's clever montage) from one of my favorite British comedies, Red Dwarf, during which hopefully you’ll have a laugh, wonder so deeply why that guy has an H on his head that you watch the whole series without sleeping, or at least learn a little more about gazpacho.

 

2 lb tomatoes, cut into large chunks

1 1/2 C water

1/4 C olive oil

2 Tbs vinegar

1 Tbs sugar

1 tsp salt

1 clove garlic

4 C cubed artisan bread, divided

Start by making the croutons: place 2 C cubed bread in a bowl; drizzle with olive oil and sea salt.

I like to put mine in the toaster oven at 375 for 15-20 minutes until they’re golden and crispy.

Next make the soup: place first 7 ingredients in blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Chill in the refrigerator until cold.

Here are my gorgeous tomatoes, many of which came in my organic produce box this week. As you can see, I had too many. Most of us would be hard pressed to fit almost three pounds of tomatoes in our blenders, so stick to two, like the recipe says:

        

Just before serving chop the vegetables that you’d like the add to your gazpacho. We like cucumber, avocado, green onion, peppers, fresh corn (we cut it off the cob, raw), mushrooms, etc. and lots of fresh parsley or cilantro. Here’s our bowl of goodness next to the toasty croutons: