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The gazpacho remix
Breaking news: despite a wave of crimes against gazpacho, the traditional cold Spanish soup doesn't have to taste like a bland tomato Slurpee. By remixing the original ingredients and ripping a few samples from another classic, it's easy to create an addictive chilled soup with reverberating layers of flavour.
My spin on the classic recipe starts by emulsifying tomatoes, stale bread, olive oil, and almonds (an ingredient used in Spain's white gazpacho). To this rustic base, I add all the usual suspects, then drop in a few fresh beats: lemon juice, aged balsamic vinegar, and smoky chili powder. When I really want to bring down the house, I finish it with burrata. Gazpacho is always at its best when made in the summer from heirloom tomatoes at their peak of ripeness, but this version has so much going for it that it will play year-round with whatever tomatoes you can get your hands on.
SERVES
TO
Ingredients
- 1 poblano chili
- 4 cups ice for blanching
- 2 pounds best available tomatoes
- 1/3 cup roughly chopped stale or rock-hard bread (ideally a rustic sourdough)
- 1/4 cup skinless Marcona almonds (or any other roasted almonds)
- 2—3 garlic cloves, minced
- 4 tablespoons best available olive oil + more for drizzling
- 1/4 medium red onion
- 1/4 fennel bulb, trimmed, or 1 celery stalk
- 1/2 cucumber, skinned, seeds removed
- 1/4 cup lightly packed basil or cilantro, bigger stems discarded before measuring
- 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar (ideally the good, thick, aged stuff)
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1/4 teaspoon ground chipotle or New Mexican chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt + more for finishing
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper + more for finishing
- One 8-ounce ball of burrata (optional)
Directions
- Blacken the poblano chili over a gas burner or barbecue. Put in a paper bag for five minutes, then peel off and discard the skin. Discard the seeds and stem. Reserve.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
- Set out a large bowl full of ice and four cups of water.
- Core the tomatoes, then cut a small X at the bottom. Drop the tomatoes, four at a time, into the boiling water and leave them for 15 seconds. Remove and transfer to the ice bath. Let sit in the bath for a minute, then peel off the tomato skins (which should just pop off into your hands) and discard.
- To a food processor, add two tomatoes, along with the bread, almonds, and garlic. Run the processor for 30 seconds, then drizzle in the oil in a thin, steady stream until it emulsifies (about one minute).
- Roughly chop the poblano chili, onion, fennel, cucumber, and basil. Add to the processor along with the remaining tomatoes.
- Season with the balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, chili powder, salt, and pepper. Chill in the refrigerator for a minimum of two hours. Before serving, retaste for salt, acid, and heat and adjust if desired.
- Ladle the soup into chilled bowls and place a quarter ball of burrata, cut side up, in the center of each bowl. Season the burrata with salt and pepper, then drizzle with olive oil.
