There are a million ways Gazpacho can be made, and in case you are wondering what exactly "Gazpacho" is let me define as Wikipedia states..."Gazpacho is a cold Spanish tomato-based raw vegetable soup, originating in the southern region of Andalusia. Gazpacho is widely consumed throughout Spain, neighboring Portugal (where it is known as gaspacho) and parts of Latin America. Gazpacho is mostly consumed during the summer months, due to its cold temperature and acidic bite".
I like my Gazpacho with some heat & a little sweet - so this watermelon & pablano peppers combination couldn't be better. The pablanos have that warm slight heat, and not over the top spicy. This is a FANTASTIC make ahead meal & it tastes better if it sits overnight.
As always I suggest hitting your local Farmer's market for the ingredients you can. Gotta support your local agriculturalists!
(6-8) Medium to Large Tomatoes (or 2-3 large can of diced tomatoes, I won't tell a soul)
(4-5) Roma Tomatoes
(1-2) Pablano Peppers
(1) Red Onion
(1/2) cucumber (just sliced into large pieces)
(1) Seedless Watermelon (seeded & cubed)
(1) Lemon (juice)
(1) Lime (juice)
(2) Cloves of Garlic
1 Cup of Low fat/Fat Free Buttermilk (* vegans substitute 1 cup soy milk & add 2 tbs. vinegar to it)
2 tablespoons Olive Oil
2 tablespoons Red Wine Vinegar
Sea Salt & fresh ground pepper to taste
(1) Avocado (to garnish)
Fat Free Greek Yogurt (for garnish)
Roast the pablanos. This is a simple process - just google "how to roast a pepper" & you will be bombarded with directions. You can oven, grill, or gas range roast them - just pick which way works best for you. Once roasted, remove stems, seeds and scrape the skin & transfer to blender or bowl if using a hand held blender (which you should purchase & thank me later!). Add in cubed watermelon & garlic cloves. Once blended add in buttermilk and a pinch of salt, blend until smooth. Transfer to the refrigerator.
For the next steps I suggest using a large food processor. If you don't have one you can use a blender. Clean all of your tomatoes (remove cores and stems) & quarter them - do this step before you blanch them (so much quicker & easier!). Blanch in boiling water - place in ice cold bath - remove skins and put in blender (if you don't know what I mean by the above google "how to peal a tomato & follow the directions - very easy process & one you will use often once you know what to do).
When your tomatoes are cleaned & in the blender add in all other ingredients (roughly sliced cucumber, red wine, lemon juice, olive oil, line juice, salt and pepper - blend well. In a large container combine both the watermelon & tomato mixtures together - mix the two by hand until well blended. Refrigerate (this soup needs to be ice cold!). If you need to speed up the cooling process put into the freezer, but keep an eye on it so it doesn't actually freeze.
Grill Prawns with just salt & pepper (mist with olive oil to avoid sticking). You can also serve this with cleaned large chunks of crab. I recommend King Crab Legs as you can get one big chunk out of each leg. You can do both of these & keep them chilled for serving.
Before you serve taste & add salt & fresh pepper as needed. Ladle Gazpacho into bowls, place a slice of avocado slice & a dollop of greek yogurt. Place prawn (or crab) on side of bowl or on top.
This is always a summer hit and there is no shame in using canned tomatoes if you just don't have the time to do the entire cleaning process. Make this soup ahead. It is so easy to take it out of the fridge, garnish & serve - EASY!!!
So, enjoy these hot nights on your patio & have friends over for a bowl of Gazpacho & a nice glass of Spanish wine... ¡Salud!
Another combination to try is Peach & Jalapeno (just replace the watermelon & pablanos)...yummy!!!
No comments:
Post a Comment