Gazpacho....
What does this word evoke to you?
To me, it means Spanish holidays and warm summer days.
I love that stuff and it is so easy to make. Apart from the pre-requisite of liking tomatoes, it is - I think - very difficult to dislike it, especially when it is too hot to cook .
Looking around, you will find many variations of the recipe: some add red peppers, some do not, some add paprika or onion. The ingredient ratios also differ from site to site and some recipes don't bother with olive oil!
Before attempting my very own recipe, I browsed English, French and Spanish websites to try and get some consistence.
I think its distinctive flavour is in the balance of tomatoes, olive oil and the Sherry vinegar. At the end of the day, seasoning is a very personal thing. Olive oil complements it and whether you wish to add anything else is down to personal taste!
So.... here is what I produced today:
Andalucian Gazpacho
Serves 5-6:
Ingredients:
- 1kg ripe tomatoes, skin on
- 150g stale bread
- 1 cucumber, peeled
- 1 green pepper, deseeded
- 160ml olive oil
- 80 ml Jerez (Sherry) vinegar
- 100ml water plus for soaking bread
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1/2 tablespoon salt
- Pepper to taste
Method:
- Soak the bread in some water, just enough to make it go soft.
- Roughly chop all the vegetables and place in large bowl or food processor.
- Blitz the vegetables, either with a hand-held mixer or food processor.
- Add the salt, pepper, olive oil, vinegar, bread and water and mix some more.
- Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving.
Best served as a starter, with toasted sourdough or baguette rubbed with garlic.
Tonight, our main course was a meaty one, with rib-eye steak (dry aged, Sussex Bred) and grilled asparagus.
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| The asparagus were simply grilled before receiving a sprinkle of salt and a drizzle of olive oil... Before you cook them, hold each spear on the hard end, and snap it where it gives. I got this method from Jamie Oliver. |
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| The end result. I will tell you about my chips soon! |
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