Gazpacho

I don’t pretend to know what I am talking about here because when I think about Gazpacho, I just think cold tomato soup. Which is not that far off from the truth but in doing my research, there are subtle nuances that make this summer soup delicious. The more I read about it, the more I realized there are a variety of versions. The authentic version in Spain adds stale bread to the blender with the other ingredients to thicken it a little, which makes me think of the Italian Pappa al Pomodoro, which is hot, but it’s bread and tomato soup.

I don’t need the extra bread in my life and I don’t care to add raw peppers so this is my version. I also prefer this soup creamy and not chunky.

Ingredients

• 6 plum tomatoes, or whatever you can find that are nice and really ripe

• 1 clove garlic, peeled

• 1 teaspoon good sherry vinegar

• 1 cucumber, peeled

• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

• 1/2 teaspoon cumin

• Salt and pepper

• Either crispy shallots or thinly sliced scallions for garnish

Directions

Core and chop the tomatoes and drop into a food processor or blender. Add the garlic, vinegar, cuke, oil and cumin and whizz away until pureed smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste. Strain through a mesh strainer (optional) and serve with crispy shallots and a drizzle of oil if desired.

An optional variation is to swap the vinegar for worcestershire sauce.

The Italian in me would also serve this with ribbons of fresh basil and a sprinkle of Pecorino Romano.

Just sayin’