How to Make Gazpacho
A chilled out classic….
For some reason gazpacho had fallen out of favour with me in terms of featuring it on my menus, no real reason but more a case of out of sight, out of mind. Until last week that is. Back to Conil in Southern Spain where the sun was shining, I was staying with my longest and dearest friends and everything was splendid.
My old mate Andy is a fine cook, I’ve been sampling his efforts for over twenty four years and he has always produced a fine plate of food. Lunch on the terrace was going to be a classic gazpacho with freshly baked Spanish bread, perfect on a hot day.
Despite a slight set back with all the electricity going off and so preventing Andrew from blitzing the soup in the modern way he turned back the clock and made it in the traditional pestle and mortar. Four pints of sweat later and this is what he served…..
Andrew Townsend’s Gazpacho
A taste sensation, especially good was the addition of some very fresh Moroccan mint to give it all a lift. Here’s how to make a quick and easy gazpacho soup:
1kg Ripe tomatoes cut into quaters 2 gloves garlic crushed half a cucumber peeled and sliced 1 green or red pepper seeded and chopped 1 red onion finely chopped 3 slices of white bread with crusts removed (slightly stale is good) 5 basil leaves torn 3 tbsp olive oil 3 tbsp sherry vinegar rock salt and black pepper.
Blitz the vegetables, garlic and basil in a food processor until smooth. Press half of the mix through a sieve (optional if you want a finer finish) Combine the rest, add the oil and vinegar a little at a time, you may need less or more. Season well, thin with three or four ice cubes if required. Serve very cold and stir well before serving.
Miles,
The Catalan people in tune with other parts of Spain, have a love of different snacks or tapas…. ham, fish, cheese etc and a personal favourite, caramelized onion with piped lightly whipped cream cheese topping and chives. The local side dish of thin slices of ciabatta rubbed with very ripe tomato and lots of olive oil, was served with most meals…. deliciously simple but definitely requires the best and the ripest of tomato for full flavour. Like you I had lots of squid served up in several guises, all with lemon and very good too. Every few yards there was a top notch icecream parlour or cafes selling coffee and almond pastries, interspersed with freshly juiced fruits for the health conscious.
From the trendy boutique hotel restaurants serving up parmesan moose, roe deer, monkfish soup with tiny quail eggs just set, to the markets overflowing with paella, Turron and cured meats, Barcelona was a delight.
I went to drink in the Gaudi architecture and see inside the Casa Batllo which was spectacularly dream-like. The Catalan people were friendly and the food delicious. Draught or no draught, this place is well worth a visit and everyone should experience the Boqueria market. I shall certainly return to take in more culture and more Catalan cuisine.
Cid
p.s. tea addicts like me should take their own or do without.
May 30, 2008 @ 11:54 am
Cid,
Hola! Sounds like you had a great time, it really has become a hotbed for world class cuisine, the Spanish are doing some very interesting dishes at the moment, very cutting edge.
Miles
May 30, 2008 @ 1:54 pm
Miles,
There was one thing I wanted to ask you if I may…. how do you think the chef made my parmesan moose, it was light as air and totally without any cheese gratings yet had a strong parmesan flavour. It was served in a tiny shot glass as an hors d’oeuvre.
This evening I made your dukkah recipe which in the hotel was served with thin fingers of toast and ex virgin olive oil for dipping. I recommend this to your readers, a healthy savoury snack for guests waiting for dinner.
Cid
May 30, 2008 @ 8:05 pm
Cid,
They’ve been reading El Bulli, they achieve this ‘light as air’ effect by using a special foam cannister which can be used hot or cold, you make your infusion of whatever, put it into the gas cannister, shake it like billy-o then squirt the foam out. It takes some practice to get an attractive finish. We’ve got one but soon got bored with it.
Glad you liked the dukkah, it’s great on soup but best with olive oil and flatbread.
Miles
May 30, 2008 @ 10:01 pm