Gazpacho
Office knife
Large stockpot
Spider or large slotted spoon
Large bowl with ice water
Vitamix
Chilled bodega glass
1.
With a paring knife, score an X at the top and base of each tomato, about an inch in each direction.
2.
Fill a stockpot with water and bring it to a rolling boil. Drop the tomatoes into the boiling water and let them cook until the skin starts to separate at the X incision, about 20 to 40 seconds. Transfer the tomatoes to an ice bath to stop the cooking. Drain and set aside to dry.
3.
Once cooled, chop the tomatoes and add them to a Vitamix along with the red onion, garlic, salt, and Sherry vinegar.
4.
Blend on high speed for two minutes, stopping to scrape down the sides if needed, With the blender running on medium-low speed, slowly drizzle in the olive oil to emulsify. Taste and adjust for salt if necessary, keeping in mind that the salt will mellow when chilled.
5.
Chill the gazpacho in the refrigerator for at least four hours, or overnight. Serve in well-chilled bodega glasses. Garnish with jewel-like drops of olive oil and Sherry vinegar, using an eyedropper or small spoon for precision.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds tomatoes, cored
- 1 long Anaheim chile, roughly chopped
- 1 small red onion, roughly chopped, about ½ cup
- 1 small clove garlic
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons Sherry vinegar
- ¾ cup good extra virgin Spanish olive oi
Cook's Notes
At the peak of the beautiful, ripe tomato season, I offer this gazpacho recipe. This is my adaptation of a New York Times recipe I’ve been tinkering with over the years. It is less like a watery salsa and creamy in texture. The beautiful texture comes from a good amount of Spanish olive oil and a very aggressive tour-of-duty in a Vitamix. If you don’t have a Vitamix you can use a blender or processor and strain the soup through a fine-mesh sieve.