|
Wednesday, 08 August 2007 |
|
Hot August nights just cry out for chilled Gazpacho, the quintessential Spanish summer dish.
Is it a soup? Is it a salad? Is it a drink? Bit of each really. It all depends on how much water is added and how finely blended the vegetables are. Easily made in advance, the flavour generally improves when made the day before consumption. ingredients - 6 large tomatoes with no skin (see below)
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 1 red pepper, 1 green pepper
- ½ small onion
- 1 cucumber, peeled
- 1 piece (about 15cm long) of a 3 or 4-day old baguette cut into pieces
- 150ml good quality extra virgin olive oil
- 50ml white wine vinegar
- salt & black pepper
method
1 Firstly, skin the tomatoes by making little cuts to the skin, place in a bowl, pour boiling water over them, Leave for 30 secs before refreshing them over cold water and peeling and cutting.
2 Cut all ingredients into small pieces and place in a deep container. Add water until all the vegetables are covered. Add the oil and vinegar and leave for about 30 mins.
3 Now, blend with an electric hand blender. Season well with salt and black pepper. As you blend keep tasting and add more vinegar as you think fit. It needs to have a certain acidity without being too sharp. serving
For an authentic Spanish touch finely chop some of the vegetables and garnish the soup. This works wonders with a chilled, bone dry fino sherry such as Tio Pepe. To impress at dinner parties a really nice touch is to serve it chilled as an aperitif in a champagne or cocktail glass (although you should ensure it is well blended). |
