Gazpacho

[Tab]

Oh, I love gazpacho. Once I figured out it was more like liquid salsa than cold tomato soup, I was a convert.

What, may I ask, would be the ultimate gazpacho recipe (he says, as he opens the pandoras box!)??


On edit: FWIW, I'm more a fan of the chunkier gazpacho rather than the heavily pureed type. That said, don't let that stop you from sharing a good recipe.

[Mr. McD]

1. I don't know about the ultimate recipe but

This is the one I use. I usually make a triple recipe and use the following recipe as a guide. The proportions usually vary as I don't measure anything. I always comes out good

Gazpacho


1 cup tomatoes -- finely chopped
1/2 cup green bell peppers -- finely chopped
1/2 cup celery -- finely chopped
1/2 cup cucumber -- finely chopped
1/4 cup onion -- finely minced
2 teaspoons parsley -- finely chopped (several sprigs fresh)
3 cloves garlic
1/2 teaspoon tarragon (several sprigs fresh)
2 tablespoons vinegar or red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon Salt

2 cups tomato juice

Combine all ingredients in a glass bowl and blend well. Or liquefy in a food processor or blender. Cover tightly and refrigerate at least 4 hours . It's best if left overnight.

[Tab]

2. Tarragon, eh?

Interesting.

I love tarragon, but have never considered putting it in gazpacho.

The rest of your ingredients are traditional, just by eyeballing it, though I don't know about the relative quantities (meaning, didn't examine them), but the tarragon is different.

[grasswire]

3. I start with a base liquid of V-8...

...which I puree in a blender with a handful of parsley, some unpeeled cucumber chunks, some celery chunks and some scallion slices in order to "develop" the liquid into a really flavorful base. Then I add some freshly cracked pepper, a splash of Tabasco, a tablespoon of dry sherry, a splash of olive oil, a splash of lemon juice, and stir. Then the chopped vegetables go in. Cucumbers, celery including leaves, tomatoes, radishes, bell pepper, scallions, parsley, and celeriac, finely chopped.

I serve very cold, with a V-8 ice cube floating in the cup and perhaps some chopped avocado for garnish.

[Tab]

4. Reporting back

Grasswire said they start with V-8. I was at a local food co-op, and took home some gazpacho, and saw they make it with V-8.

So, I went out and bought a cheap blender (we're moving and I can't find my regular kick-ass blender), and it took me forever, but I tossed in:

Celery, chunked


Yellow onion (what I had at the time), chunked


Fresh garden cucumber, chunked


Part of a large(r) can of Hunts diced tomatoes (w/garlic & basil & oregano)


A can of Ro-Tel


Two cloves of garlic, crushed


Dried parsley flakes


Salt & Crushed Ground Pepper


Umm... I think that's it.

Oh, and yes, the V-8! How can I forget that?



Put it in my cheap-ass blender, swapping out and working to get it all crushed



I personally like my gazpacho chunkier, but this was the best I've ever done just throwing stuff together. It was pretty yum.


Thanks, V-8! (and Grasswire!)

[grasswire]

6. hooray for v-8!

I love the stuff although lately I've been drinking the low sodium version which is not as good but better for my blood pressure!

[Gormy Cuss]

5. Not a recipe, just a prep suggestion.

Reserve a portion of the veggies but puree everything else. Add reserved veggies to the puree.

[Tab]

7. That's what I would normally do

to get the chunkiness. But this blender was lame, and I didn't feel like dealing it. That is the approach for next time, after we move.