The exact translation of the word “gazacho” is “gazpacho” which, in English, means cold tomato-based soup with vinegar, oil and chopped up vegetables. It is a traditional Spanish dish with many classic variations occurring from region to region, not all including tomatoes and not always served as a soup.
Now is the best time to make gazpacho. It is incredibly refreshing and all the ingredients are available locally grown, reasonably priced, and fresh. The tomatoes, particularly, must be the juicy kind which fairly burst when you cut them, not “firm, slicing tomatoes” (those wooden things which could fracture a politician’s skull). A blender makes the going great.
Mr. Tom Cowman, whose reputation as a restaurateur is by now something of a local legend, has kindly agreed to share his recipe for gazpacho, which is thick, tangy and a beautiful, deep red. Serves eight to 12.
Tom Cowman's Gazpacho
Combine in blender:
2 cucumbers, peeled and seeded
1 green pepper, peeled and seeded
6 scallions
1 small red onion
3 stalks celery
1-2 cloves garlic
2 stale rolls
Blend with V-8 Juice until smooth.
Into a bowl finely chop:
6 scallions
1 green pepper, seeded
3 tomatoes, peeled and seeded
2 stalks celery
2 cucumbers, peeled and seeded
Add to the bowl:
the ingredients which have been previously pureed in blender
1/2 cup dill vinegar (or to taste)
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tsp. (or more) freshly ground pepper
salt to taste
chopped chives
Thin with more V-8 Juice and chill before serving.
Note: To peel green peppers and tomatoes, plunge them into boiling water for 15-20 seconds and the skins will slip right off. Mr. Cow man said you may need up to one large can of V-8 and that you can also enrich the soup with a little tomato paste. To speed the chilling, stir a handful of ice cubes into the soup. (Many of the traditional Spanish recipes call for ice or ice water for this purpose.)
Mrs. Helen C. Sheak of Pompano Beach, Fla., sent another gazpacho recipe which tastes more of herbs, less of tomatoes and has a totally different texture. Serves eight.
Gazpacho No. 2
6 large tomatoes, peeled and finely chopped
1 cucumber, peeled and finely chopped
1 small green pepper, finely chopped
2 celery stalks, finely chopped
20 sprigs parsley, snipped
10 scallions, finely chopped
2 cans (14 oz. each) ready-to-serve chicken broth
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 tbs. wine vinegar
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp. salt (or to taste)
1 tsp. pepper (or to taste)
5 drops Tabasco (or to taste)
1 lemon, sliced paper thin
2 Tbsp. fresh dill (or 1/4 this amount dried)
1 tsp. fresh thyme (or 1/4 this amount dried)
1 tsp. fresh chervil (or 1/4 this amount dried)
2 springs fresh mint (or 1/4 this amount dried)
Combine all ingredients in a wide-mouthed mouthed jar or jug. Stir or shake well. Taste and add more seasoning if desired. Puree half the mixture in blender, about three cups at a time.
Empty pureed mixture back into jar, stir or shake, taste again, adjust seasoning and add ice water, up to 14 ounces, if necessary. Chill in coldest part of refrigerator overnight or longer. Shake well before serving and serve in chilled mugs or bowls.
There you are. Just make a good salad and a good dressing and throw it into the blender (hold the lettuce). Carefully seasoning either of these recipes to taste is essential. You might try adding vodka to a punchbowl full of gazpacho and serving drinks and lunch all in one.
The traditional garnish for gazpacho is fresh croutons, but more chopped vegetables or even chopped hard boiled eggs can be served with it. Another Spanish variation is the addition of raw eggs in with the blended ingredients. This produces a richer, more bisque-like soup.
