I am a lady of leisure, so it should come as no surprise that I made this
g a z p a c h o.
Was that dramatic enough? Did you sense I was speaking from a fainting couch in a spacious drawing room with French doors, as I lounged around in some kind of floral muumuu holding a long stem cigarette?
Nah, me either. I’m gonna break it down for you: This is summertime grilled cheese and chilled tomato soup. And it’s wonderful. Because you know what’s always good? Grilled cheese and tomato soup. What’s not so good in the summer? ANYTHING HOT. See previous post.
And I know it’s September and we’re all feigning shock that the summer is already over (c'mon guys, it happens every year), but I’m not about to play the IT’S-FALL-Y’ALL game just yet, as much as I want to. There are still hot, humid and sweaty days of us and I’m not about to turn in my (knock-off) Birkenstocks for boots.
So while we still have some summer left and tomatoes are still in peak season, go live your best lady of leisure life and enjoy this gazpacho. If only to say you’ve made gazpacho.
P.S. Treat yourself to a really thick, crusty country bread for this grilled cheese. Ya worth it.
Pictured left: Kaz being very patient while I insisted on taking a picture before he could eat. Pictured right: Evidence I did not enjoy the straining portion of the recipe. You might even say it was...a strain.
New York Times’ Best Gazpacho
Ingredients
2 lb. ripe red tomatoes, cored and roughly cut into chunks
1 Italian frying (cubanelle) pepper or another long, light green pepper, such as Anaheim, cored, seeded and roughly cut into chunks
1 cucumber, about 8 inches long, peeled and roughly cut into chunks
1 small mild onion (white or red), peeled and roughly cut into chunks
1 clove garlic
2 teaspoons sherry vinegar, more to taste
Salt
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil, more to taste, plus more for drizzling
Directions
Combine tomatoes, pepper, cucumber, onion and garlic in a blender or, if using a hand blender, in a deep bowl. (If necessary, work in batches.) Blend at high speed until very smooth, at least 2 minutes, pausing occasionally to scrape down the sides with a rubber spatula.
With the motor running, add the vinegar and 2 teaspoons salt. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil. The mixture will turn bright orange or dark pink and become smooth and emulsified, like a salad dressing. If it still seems watery, drizzle in more olive oil until texture is creamy.
Strain the mixture through a strainer or a food mill, pushing all the liquid through with a spatula or the back of a ladle. Discard the solids. Transfer to a large pitcher (preferably glass) and chill until very cold, at least 6 hours or overnight.
Before serving, adjust the seasonings with salt and vinegar. If soup is very thick, stir in a few tablespoons ice water. Serve in glasses, over ice if desired. Add a few drops of olive oil on top if desired.
Test Kitchen Notes
It’s best to make this the night before, as it needs some time to chill.
Be prepared for the straining portion of the recipe. It’s not incredibly difficult, but it’s a bit tedious. (See photo above.) I used a mesh strainer and it worked fine, but if you have something more efficient like a food mill, more power to ya.