Things to remember when making gazpacho next time

[e_juliana]

It's a raw soup. Meaning the onion doesn't get cooked. Meaning your usual enthusiasm for all things Allium cepa needs to be toned down a notch. Or five. Keep this in mind when adding Allium sativum (garlic), as well. In this case, less is most definitely more.

In other recipe notes, the Bon Appetit recipe results in a creamier gazpacho than

Comments

[laurashapiro]

I typically use, at most, two garlic cloves. And you might have better results by using scallions instead of full-blown onions; that's what I do (1-2 scallions, both the white and green parts) and I'm always happy with it.

I've done the soup with tomato juice as a base, and it was okay. Look for organic, no-salt-added, if you can get it. Otherwise, it's peeling and seeding a lot of tomatoes -- kind of a hassle, but it does taste better.

I haven't tried gazpacho with a blender, but my suggestion if it's too creamy would be to leave about 1/3 of the chopped veggies out of the blenderizing process, adding them at the end for a chunkier texture.

[e_juliana]

I used two garlic cloves, but the onion was definitely being the bully when I mixed it last night. I'll see how it settled today.

It's the peeling I don't like. The seeding, I'm cool with, because then delicious often ends up on my fingers and then in my mouth. (I like seeds, what can I say?)

[lala_lisa]

Peeling the tomatoes? You can just dunk them in boiling water for 15 seconds and then plunge in an ice bath to stop any cooking and the skin will come right off using a sharp knife. Although if you're going for a total raw food thing maybe that's cheating? It doesn't really cook the tomatoes though.

[laurashapiro]

I like tomato seeds, too, but some folks are weird about them. Recipes always say to seed the tomatoes, but I never do.

[alterjess]

I unabashedly use low-sodium V8 in my gazpacho. I make up for this by not pureeing anything - all the veggies get a fine dice with a chef's knife so the whole thing stays crunchy (except the garlic, which I put through a garlic press). And I generally don't add extra salt, unless I find myself working with really watery tomatoes.

My base recipe is Joy of Cooking, and I usually make garlic crostini to go on top. (Blend or puree lots of garlic w/ olive oil into a paste. Spread on top of sliced baguette. Toast in oven until delicious.)

[e_juliana]

My chef needs sharpening - I've been using a santuku, and it's not the same.

I do not like salt - I also don't like tomato juice, so I have no idea if low-sodium V8 would be too salty. I guess I'll find out!

Oh, I am ALL OVER The crostini, you betcha.

[alterjess]

Ah, and I'm a total salt fiend. It's what I crave when the rest of the world is wanting sugar.

[cofax7]

I had awesome cucumber gazpacho a while back. It was English cucumber, garlic, olive oil, lemon, and... I forget. No tomatoes, though. It was fantastic, and even better after a couple of days. Highly recommended for a summertime thing.