[mstevens]

Barbara's Gazpacho (Stolen from an old girlfriend...)

Ingredients:

4 cups tomato juice
1 tsp tarragon
1 cucumber
1 tsp basil
1 ripe tomato
1 green pepper
1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley
1 medium yellow onion
1/4 cup minced scallions
2 tbs red wine vinegar
juice of 1 lime
2 tbs olive oil
juice of 1/2 lemon
salt & pepper to taste


Directions:

In food processor, mince green pepper and onion until they exude liquid. Add to tomato juice. Chop cucumber and tomato. Add to tomato juice mixture. Add all other ingredients. Mix well and chill for several hours. Serve VERY cold. This is a refreshing soup to have on a hot summer day!!!

 

[marmalady]

Had a recipe somewhere for a white gazpacho - almonds and cucumbers, among other things - but lost it? Anyone ever heard of this? I think it was supposed to be a 'traditional' Spanish dish?

 

[suzanne]

You bet. I had dinner last night at a Basque restaurant, and they had an "ajo blanco" much like you describe. Unfortunately, I didn't try it. But I did have one just like that a few weeks ago at a place near Gramercy Park.

And I found this one -- no cucumber, but otherwise close:

Gazpacho Blanco from Soup, Beautiful Soup by Felipe Rojas-Lombardi

12 oz. blanched almonds, ground to make 3 cups
5 slices white bread without crusts, ground to make a scant 2 cups
6 cups milk
2 cloves lightly crushed garlic, skin left on
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 Tablespoon medium-dry sherry
1 Tablespoon good olive oil
2 teaspoons coarse salt

Garnish: 1/2 pound seedless white grapes, about 2 cups

In a large glass, ceramic, or stainless steel bowl, combine the ground almonds, bread crumbs, milk, garlic cloves (skewered with toothpicks for easy removal) and cayenne. Let soak for 20 minutes, or until the almonds and bread crumbs are quite soft. Discard the garlic and puree the mixture, a few cups at a time, in the blender. It will have a grainy texture. When the soup is all blended, return to the original bowl, cover, and let chill thoroughly: it should be very, very cold. To speed the chilling, you can place the bowl in a larger container that holds ice cubes, a little water, and lots of salt.

While the soup cools, peel the grapes with a paring knife and refrigerate. When well chilled, stir in the sherry, olive oil, and salt to taste.

To serve, bring the soup to the table in a cold tureen, with the grapes in a separate bowl. Ladle the soup into chilled soup plates -- glass bowls are good -- adding a handful of grapes to each serving.

 

[marmalady]

Yum - won't this be good on one of those sweltering days!!! Thanks, Suzanne.

 

[shahar]

Personal recipe for gazpatzo. I like making it with very strong flavores and serving as a small teaser. I also served it as an appatizer with a cold salad of poached calamari in mint and even used it as a base for the world best bloody marry!

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3 # plum tomatoes
1-10 garlic cloves(depending on whether or not you're dating =>)
3 rough chopped shallots
2 red bell pepper roughly chopped
1 cup evo oil
1/3 lemon juice
2 sp suger
salt and lots of fresh ground black pepper

strudy herbs(rosmary, oregano, thyme)

Warm up a grill to medium heat.
Halve tomatoes toss with a quarter of the olive oil, the suger, salt and pepper. Lightly wet the herbs and put on the grill, put the tomatoes on top in one layar and cover. Do in two batches if needed. You want them to roast while getting smoked. Make sure they don't burn.
Take them off the grill and put in large not metalic bowl, add the bell pepper, lemon juice, shallots and garlic. Add more black pepper. let sit covered overnight.
Puree in a blender or with a hand buzzer while adding the rest of the olive oil.
Check seasoning. If it's going to be a teaser it can hold very bold flavors and you can add more lemon juice and even chilly flakes. If it's going to be a full fledge dish, keep it mellower.

You can strain it at this stage if you like or keep it chunky, I don't give a ****!

Serve very very very cold with more drizzled evo and freshly toasted pine nuts.