Chef notes
My wife, Patricia, is from Andalucía, a region known for sherry and hams. But not many people know that Andalucía is the cold-soup capital of the world, thanks to gazpacho. Every summer, when you open the refrigerator in my house, you'll see a big glass pitcher right in the middle with this rich, creamy red liquid inside. It's always ready to refresh you on a hot day. My wife doesn't like to cook, and she always tries hard to change the menu at home. But one thing she cooks like the gods is gazpacho. This is her recipe. It's also one of the reasons I married her.
For the best flavor for the gazpacho, be sure to use a good Spanish sherry vinegar, and you'll see that the oloroso sherry adds extra depth to the flavor. And remember, gazpacho can keep for up to three days in the refrigerator ... its flavor only gets better! Be sure to stir it well, or use an immersion blender, before serving since it may separate. Serve it by the glass or dress it up in a bowl with some cherry tomatoes, diced cucumber and a drizzle of olive oil.
Ingredients
- 1 cucumber, peeled, seeded and chopped
- 1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced
- 3 pounds ripe plum tomatoes, quartered
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled
- 3/4 cup Spanish extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/2 cup oloroso sherry
- 1/4 cup sherry vinegar
- 2 teaspoons sea salt
- 6-8 cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1/2 cucumber, diced
- 1/2 green pepper, diced
- 1/2 cup Spanish extra virgin olive oil
- sea salt
Preparation
Combine cucumbers, peppers, tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, sherry and vinegar in a food processor or blender. Puree the ingredients until everything is well blended and smooth — you can add up to a cup of water to adjust the consistency, if you'd like. Pour the gazpacho through a medium strainer into a pitcher. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
Put some of the cherry tomato halves, diced cucumber and green peppers in each bowl and pour the gazpacho over them. Drizzle each bowl with olive oil, sprinkle with sea salt, and serve.
