Passport & Plate - Gazpacho
Spain | Wednesday, March 4, 2015 | 2 photos
Ingredients
1 kg nice bright red very ripe tomatoes
1 long green pepper
1 piece cucumber about 5cm long
1/2 medium onion
1 slice of white bread or small hunk French bread
2 cloves garlic (or more)
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
3 tbsp white wine vinegar
1 tsp salt
Pepper
Water to thin to liked consitency
Optional: red pepper and/or an apple
How to prepare this recipePut a little water, the oil and vinegar and bread in a liquidiser or blender. Blend until smooth, adding water if necessary. Add chopped, cored tomatoes one at a time. Blend all together. Sieve if you like it very smooth, it's only necessary for fussy people!
Chill. Frost glasses and serve.
The story behind this recipeThe Story Behind My Gorgeous Gazpacho
I was a fussy eater. A very fussy eater, I think my mum made me so. 'She doesn't like this or that or anything red or green, no fruit or vegetables, hardly anything really.' I remember her saying many times over the top of my head. The opportunities to try anything different were rare. My mum didn't cook. Didn't really do food. Just packets, tins or freezer to microwave meals.
When I learnt about food, real food. Tasty food, delicious mouth-watering flavours. Never ending combinations, appealing arranged; life changed.
Looking, watching, testing, tasting, feeling, what a world of textures, flavours and above all tastes opened my eyes to a world I didn't know existed. So I experimented with food, discovered I liked it, - a lot. Trying new dishes, anything, anywhere. Local food is a huge part of the enjoyment of life.
The cool, zing of my first Gazpacho under the scorching, dry heat of inland Andalusia stole my heart. A 42c Seville day, blisteringly hot, melting pavements, café tables oozing onto tree-lined shade-covering streets. An ice-cold gazpacho in a rim-frosted glass was set down before me. A smoothie of cold goodness which slipped down a treat. A bite from the garlic, the acidity of the tomatoes, a hint of cucumber and a long smooth cooling sensation for a moment stole away the incessant but welcome holiday heat.
It is no doubt a summer dish, a taste to savour when the summer's is at it's peak and the locals have a glut of vegetables in their gardens. It's a basic, common dish served in every home and most bars and it's so emblematic of sweltering summers of inland Southern Spain that I make it almost every day during those over 30c three months or so of summer that is now my home.
How could I possibly live there, eating or drinking it without making it too. Chilled red, nutrient-packed, fresh veg and fruit meal in a glass. A horror of my childhood – now a delicious delight.
