Gazpacho
Serves: 10
This recipe was created by chef Geraldine Ferraro of the Four Swallows Restaurant on Bainbridge Island in Washington. It has been altered slightly from the original, available at Epicurious: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/recipe_views/views/239209
Ingredients
- 1 cup tomato juice made from mashing a large ripe tomato and squeezing out the seeds and skin
- 1 (2-inch) piece baguette, crust discarded and cut into 1-inch cubes
- 15 very ripe medium tomatoes, coarsely chopped
- 2 cucumbers, peeled and roughly chopped, plus ½ cucumber finely diced for garnish
- 3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
- 2¼ teaspoons kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons Spanish smoked paprika**
- ¼ cup plus 1 teaspoon sherry vinegar
- 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- ½ red bell pepper, finely diced
- ½ small red onion, finely diced
- ⅛ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ** Spanish smoked paprika is sometimes labeled hot Pimentón or hot Pimentóón de La Vera and is available at some grocery stores or online at spanishtable.com.
Instructions
- In small bowl, pour tomato juice over bread cubes and let soak until very soft, about 30 minutes. Transfer to blender and purée until smooth. Add tomatoes, roughly chopped cucumber, garlic, 2 teaspoons salt, and paprika and purée until very smooth. Strain through fine-mesh sieve into medium bowl, pressing on solids to extract all liquid. Discard solids, return liquid to blender, and add ¼ cup vinegar. With motor running, slowly add 1 cup oil in slow steady stream and blend until fully incorporated. Transfer gazpacho to airtight container and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight.
- In medium bowl, toss together finely diced cucumber, bell pepper, onion, ground black pepper, and remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 teaspoon vinegar, and ¼ teaspoon salt. Ladle gazpacho into bowls. Spoon chopped vegetable mixture into middle of each bowl, dividing evenly among bowls. Serve immediately.