Gazpacho Grande….and with a twist
Oh, how I love a cold, lovely red or yellow cup of this soup on a hot day!
I often start with whatever turns me on in the fridge, and one day I used cooked beets that had been sprinkled with only lemon juice and salt and that was the birth of a dark purple gazpacho to join the others..
Yet another recent gazpacho was inspired with leftover potato salad, the potatoes having been dug out of my garden a few days ago, and because they were new, the potato salad was a bit less firm than I like it to be.
Into the bowl of a food processor it went, along with the beet juice left from steaming beets to eat cold, or roasted with a little lemon juice and butter.
I added a few things I found in the fridge as usual and voilá—a cold lovely soup to sip (or eat with a spoon!) when the temperature is climbing (it was around 32 the other day when this soup evolved).
But first you must find really sweet organic beets and quarter them, then simmer them in salted water until tender, not too long or they will lose their flavour. Chop or slice the beets with lemon juice and salt and eat them. Then cool the broth and drink a bit for your daily vitamins, using the rest for the liquid of this soup.
(A personal view about using green peppers, as some gazpacho recipes include: I do not use green peppers at all in gazpacho, but if I did, they would be red or yellow, never green. Maybe it’s a childhood memory of having stuffed green peppers at a friend’s house, baked way too long and soggy to boot! In this part of France, the red and green and even chocolate-colored peppers are far sweeter than any others.)
- 1 sweet onion chopped coarse
- 2-3 large tomatoes
- 2 garlic cloves
- 2 cucumbers, peeled and chopped coarse
- Large handful of fresh coriander
- Juice of a lemon
- Dash of red wine vinegar
- Salt and pepper to taste
- (If you have beet juice, add a little of it, too)
In the bowl of a food processor, put all of the ingredients and pulse until very smooth.
Serve cold with croutons or a dollop of yogurt or crumbled feta cheese in each dish.
GAZPACHO WITH A TWIST
If you wish a more classic gazpacho, minus beets, this is infallible and, when strained, becomes an elegant, silky and smooth entrée for a summer meal. The strained vegetables may be used on bruschetta. I use the lovely pain compagne from our local boulangerie, even if I am a baker myself. Or make bruschetta with your own split and toasted focaccia!
- 4 ripe tomatoes, any kind, cut in quarters (Yellow ones make a lovely gazpacho of a different color or red and yellow make an orange one.)
- 1 clove garlic (the fresh garlic season is now and it is delicious raw, without being harsh)
- 1 long Persian cucumber or 2 medium ones, chopped coarse
- 1 large sweet onion, chopped coarse
- 1 bunch fresh coriander
- Basil leaves, if you wish, but only a few
- 2 teaspoons of red wine vinegar
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- Juice of a lemon
- Salt, pepper, and a pinch of espelette pepper if you wish more zing
In the bowl of a food processor, put all of the ingredients and whiz until very smooth. A hand mixer may be used, as always, if a processor is not available.
NOTE: A handful of grilled almonds and a small commercial toast or a slice of very toasted bread turns this gazpacho into the wonderful rich soup of Andalucia: Salmorejo.
Food for Thought from Suzanne Dunaway
P-O Life reader, Suzanne Dunaway, has cooked since she was 5 years old, when she made cinnamon pinwheels from her mother’s pastry dough.
She LOVES to cook. Some might say she LIVES to cook. The smells, the tastes, the textures…
She is a firm believer in simplicity and creates her recipes in the ethos of ‘anyone can cook’.
After years of experience in her own kitchen, cooking schools and private classes all over the world, in this weekly blog, Suzanne shares with us her PO-inspired creations.
With many strings to her bow, she is also an artist and columnist, with two published cookbooks.
All content and recipes are copyright of Suzanne Dunaway.
