19


Gazpacho
 
Tom Woteki, March 2003
Another summertime ritual dish around my house is gazpacho. This cold tomato soup just hits the spot and what a great way to use those real tomatoes that are growing so bright red and ripe sitting in your kitchen window. The recipe I use traces its lineage to Penelope Casas’s great cookbook, the Foods and Wines of Spain. I’ve done a lot of cooking out of that book, particularly after a number of wonderful trips to that sunny country. But the recipe is now my own; it is part of my summer. I look forward to making this every weekend when 2 of the main ingredients, the tomato and the green pepper, are available at my local farmer’s market, Eastern Market on Capitol Hill.

However, the secrets to this dish are 2 other items: the vinegar and the tarragon. Aha! You didn’t know about the tarragon. All those insipid gazapachos you’ve had (yeah, sure Tom, gazpacho, whatever...) will be left far behind by this outstanding version:

Obtain:
• 6-8 or more large and ripe, yet firm, locally grown farmer tomatoes, such as beefsteaks
1 medium onion
1 green pepper
2 small-ish Kirby cucumbers (I prefer the Kirbys but kukes are kukes in the end)
1 clove garlic
1 t sugar
salt
balsamic, red wine or sherry vinegars in combination, you will season to taste
tarragon, fresh cut to taste
Proceed:
• 1. Cut the tops off the tomatoes at the stem end, squeeze out the seeds.
2. Clean and prep all the other vegetables. In particular, peel the cucumbers and scrape out the seeds with a spoon and devein the pepper.
3. Roughly chop all the veggies. Process in 2 or 3 batches in a food processor in preparation for further processing in a food mill. Process fine but do not over process: pulse the processor, don’t run it continuously*.
4. Pass the veggies through the fine disc of a food processor to form the base of the soup.
5. Now add all the remaining ingredients, one at a time, tasting as you go along to get the seasoning. Usually I use 2-3 T of vinegars, total, and 1-2 T crushed and finely chopped tarragon (roll it in the palms of your hands to crush it... ahhhh...) .
6. Refrigerate for a few hours to let the flavors meld, and the soup chill.
(*Note: the vigor of processing may create some foam that floats on the vegetables. Not to worry. It will eventually melt away. the way to avoid excessive foam is to pulse your food processor.)
Makes about 2 quarts.
The vinegar will add zest and flavor. The amount you’ll want to use depends on the tomatoes. That’s one reason you’ll want to taste as you go along. Another reason is the tarragon: 2T tarragon may be too much; 1 may not be enough. This herb really helps make this dish, but it is powerful and you need to taste your way to the end... but you’d do that anyway.
Serving suggestions:
1. Add a swirl of very excellent quality extra virgin olive oil to each serving bowl. Sprinkle in a little french sea salt (the good stuff) Garnish with a sprig of tiny basil leaves.
2. Serve with crusty bread and a chilled and sprightly wine. Try a vin gris rose from Bonny Doon, about $10 (US) per bottle.
3. The classic garnish is a freshly chopped portion of the key veggies that go into the dish, plus some croutons. I prefer the preceding variations.