The tomatoes at the farm stands are plump red and deeply flavorful right now, so when I was thinking of what to serve for an appetizer tonight I immediately thought gazpacho!
I found this recipe a few years ago (not sure where now) when I was planning food for one of my Spanish food and film fiestas. The featured movie was Pedro Almodóvar's Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown and there's a scene where Carmen Maura, who has been dumped by her married lover, is alone in her apartment making a batch of gazpacho for him in her blender. She throws in a handful of barbiturates at the end in order to kill him, but the conconction ends up getting served to several other people instead, putting them into a long deep sleep. Screwball comedy at its wildest.
My batch of gazpacho, the Spanish "liquid salad", won't include barbiturates as I'd like my guest tonight to be wide awake - and alive! This version of the recipe is the pinkish version that is supposed to be typical of Andalusia, but there are many variations. I process it very finely so it's drinkable from a glass, though you could serve it in small bowls.
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Andalusian Gazpacho
You can strain this soup so it's absolutely smooth, or if you'd rather not strain it, puree it more coarsely so the soup is chunky and tiny fibers aren't an issue. The recipe is typical of home cooks in Seville.
Serves four. Yields four cups.
2 cloves garlic, sliced
1 large green pepper, seeded and coarsely chopped
1 1/2 lb. (about 3 large) very red, ripe tomatoes, cut into large pieces
3-inch-long piece of baguette, sliced and dried overnight or until hard (I dried slices in a toaster oven since I hadn't planned ahead)
1/2 cup good-quality extra-virgin olive oil
2 Tbs. sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar
2 tsp. coarse salt; more to taste
freshly ground pepper (optional)
1 cup peeled, diced cucumber
1 cup diced onion, for garnish (optional)
Put the garlic, green pepper, tomatoes, bread, olive oil, vinegar, and salt in a food processor (I used two batches). Pulse until the ingredients begin to puree; continue processing until the mixture is as fine a puree as possible, 3 to 5 minutes.
Pass the soup through a large fine sieve set over a large bowl, pressing until only solids remain in the sieve; discard the solids. Stir in 1/4 to 1/2 cup water, or enough to give the soup the consistency of a thin milkshake. If you want a thicker soup, add less water, or none at all (I prefer to add none). Add more salt or vinegar to taste. Cover and refrigerate until well chilled.
Ladle the gazpacho into chilled bowls or cups. Grind fresh pepper on top, if you want, and pass bowls of diced cucumbers and onion, if using, so people can garnish their own.
¡Buen provecho!
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