Drinking for Dinner: Summer Gazpacho

Meal Monday

In case you haven't noticed, it's hot. The Weather Channel has deemed D.C. the hottest city in the Northeast and the sixth hottest in the country. And the rest of the Metro-area is sizzling as well. It's too hot to cook, too hot to eat, and, well, not too hot to drink. So, we've been drinking for dinner. A lot. The kids, too. Nearly every night.

Before you get the wrong idea, you should know we're drinking gazpacho, a cold tomato-based vegetable soup that originated in another sweltering spot, Spain.  Somehow, my kids have been swigging the soupy jumble of tomatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers, onions, garlic, wine vinegar and olive oil without a stink.  Maybe their taste buds (or as my five year old says, "taste bugs") are changing, maybe the liquid form is throwing them off their vegetable-rejecting track. (My son refuses tomatoes served any other way.) More likely, they're just too overheated to serve up their usual objections.

Whatever the reason for this inexplicable success, here's a simple and quick recipe for gazpacho based on the one in my vintage copy of The Moosewood Cookbook (1977). I'm planning to serve this tonight with the zucchini cornbread from this month's Bon Appetit. (I worked up to baking it after several hours of indoor air-conditioned bliss.) You can serve it as a main course, along with some cheese and salad for a vegetarian meal, or pair it with eggs (hard-boiled are great in the heat) or some other protein.  You can offer it in a glass, a mug, a cup or a bowl.  Whatever you do, though, don't serve it hot!

Recipe: Summer Gazpacho (yields at least 12 servings)

64 oz. cold low sodium tomato or low-sodium vegetable juice (if you like it spicy, you can used the amped-up versions)

1 large red onion

4 cups fresh tomatoes

3-4 bell peppers (of different colors, e.g., red, yellow, green, and purple)

2 large cucumbers

4 scallions

2-5 cloves of garlic (chopped finely)

1 tbs. honey

juice of 1 lemon and 2 limes

4 tbs. red wine vinegar

4 tbs. olive oil

1 tsp. ground cumin

dried/fresh mixed herbs, e.g., parsley, basil, tarragon

salt & black pepper to taste

Pour tomato/vegetable juice into a large bowl. Chop all of the vegetables coarsley (except the garlic) adding them to the bowl. Don't worry about mincing or chopping finely because it's all going into the food processor. (Note that I recommend a food processor, which may leak a bit, over a blender, because it's easier to puree lots of vegetables finely). Chop the garlic finely, and throw in the bowl as well. Add the remaining ingredients and mix. You can vary the garlic/spices or even the vegetables (some people use chives, jalapenos or celery) depending on your family's preference. (My kids actually like the kick from the tabasco, cumin and garlic!) Puree the soup in batches in a food processor and then chill for at least an hour.  If you can't wait, you can serve it with ice cubes, but it's not as good that way. The soup will last in the fridge for about a week (unless you add yogurt) but you can also take half and freeze it.

Options: You can add a cup or two of plain yogurt if you want to make a thicker soup or add a cup of water if you want to thin it a bit.  Stale bread (soaked in a bit of water) or croutons make an excellent base for the soup, too.

 

 

Comments

[Dave H]

yum!