Gazpacho
To me this dish is like the Mediterranean in a bowl. It exemplifies all the iconic flavors and colors of the region’s cuisine and on these hot August days there’s nothing better than this soup served ice cold to power you through the afternoon.
For best results, use very ripe tomatoes with that deep red color that are going soft to the touch. You may want to leave them on the windowsill for a couple of days for them to reach that point.
Ingredients
About 2 pounds ripe red tomatoes, cored and roughly cut into chunks
1 Italian frying pepper or another long, light green pepper, cored, seeded and roughly cut into chunks
1 English cucumber, or about 8 inches of the very long Japanese cucumber in your box this week, peeled and roughly cut into chunks
1 small mild onion (white or red), peeled and roughly cut into chunks
1 clove garlic
2 teaspoons sherry vinegar, more to taste. Red or white wine vinegar also work, but are not quite as authentic as sherry vinegar.
Salt
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil or more to taste, plus more for drizzling
Directions
Combine tomatoes, pepper, cucumber, onion and garlic in a blender or, if using a hand blender, in a deep bowl. (If necessary, work in batches.) Blend at high speed until very smooth, at least 2 minutes, pausing occasionally to scrape down the sides with a rubber spatula.
Add the vinegar, 2 teaspoons of salt and the olive oil. The mixture should turn bright orange or dark pink as you blend it, becoming smooth and emulsified, like a salad dressing. If it still seems watery, or you don’t see a significant color change drizzle in more olive oil until texture is creamy. Some recipes also call for blending in a stale piece bread to add some thickness, which I recommend if you want to make the dish a bit more filling.
If you wish, you can strain the mixture through a strainer or a food mill, pushing all the liquid through with a spatula or the back of a ladle to remove the solids. The tomatoes in your box have very few seeds and thin skins, so I didn’t find it necessary, but if you’re using a seedier variety from the store, this step is recommended.
Transfer to a large pitcher (preferably glass) and chill until very cold, at least 6 hours or overnight. If you want to eat it immediately, you can stir in some ice cubes, but this will thin it out a little.
Before serving, adjust the seasonings with salt and vinegar. Serving gazpacho over ice with a drizzle of olive oil is traditional and the addition of some crusty bred will round this out as a hearty lunch.