Gazpacho ideas?

[Telly Savalas]

Makin' gazpacho for dinner. Never made it before. Can any DU gourmands give any suggestions on how to make it a truly kickass delicacy?

Cheers!

Thanks!

Allez Cuisine!

[wryter2000]

1. I don't

But someone in the cooking and baking group might. In fact, there's a recipe in one of my threads called What can I do with all these tomatoes?

:)

[Mr. McD]

2. Gazpacho

1 cup tomatoes -- finely chopped
1/2 cup green bell peppers -- finely chopped
1/2 cup celery -- finely chopped
1/2 cup cucumber -- finely chopped
1/4 cup onion -- finely minced
2 teaspoons parsley -- finely chopped
3 cloves garlic
1/2 teaspoon tarragon
2 tablespoons vinegar or red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon Salt
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
2 cups tomato juice

Combine all ingredients in a glass bowl and blend well. Or liquefy in a
food processor or blender. Cover tightly and refrigerate at least 4 hours. It's best if left overnight.

[eyesroll]

3. You need:

¥ A few cups skinned, chopped and seeded tomatoes. In the winter, I use one big can of whole tomatoes packed in tomato puree (and I just try to get as many seeds out as I can).
¥ÊOne green bell pepper, chopped
¥ÊOne red bell pepper, chopped
¥ One cucumber, peeled, seeded, chopped
¥ÊHalf a red onion, peeled and chopped
¥Ê2-4 cloves garlic, depending on your taste
¥ÊBread crumbs from one or two pieces of bread
¥ÊOne-half jalapeno, seeded, minced or a few red-pepper flakes (it doesn't add heat, but brings out some of the other flavors)
¥ A big splash of good olive oil
¥ÊA big splash of sherry vinegar (use red wine vinegar if you can't find it, but if you can, it's worth it)
¥ÊS&P to taste

Puree the whole mess into the desired consistency. You may even want to thin it out a bit with a little ice water. Ideally, you'll be making this several hours to a day in advance to allow the flavors to mesh. (It'll keep for a few days in the fridge, and will thin out nicely with vodka on a weekend morning.)

To garnish, set out small bowls of any or all of the following, and let people garnish their own:
¥ÊChopped red pepper
¥ Chopped cucumber
¥ÊChopped hard-boiled egg (not kidding about that one)
¥ÊSliced green olives (anchovy stuffed for a kick)
¥ÊCroutons
¥ÊChopped red onion

[eyesroll]

4. Oh -- and fresh mint is nice in gazpacho, too

Just a small handfull of leaves, chopped and thrown into the processor/blender with the rest.

[Rabrrrrrr]

5. Yes - serve it piping hot

:P

[SOteric]

6. Use any good recipe,

it must include cucumbers and bits of bread. Substitute the 'tomato juice' or V-8 or whatever liquid tomato product they're advising straight across with a non-alcholic Bloody Mary Mix available in most grocery stores.