I first tasted Gazpacho in the sixties when I was a young student living in Spain.
Gazpacho is perfect for hot summer days.
It happened in a little café in Toledo, Spain, and I can still picture it – the café itself, the handsome young man, and the Gazpacho that made such an impression on me.
My own gazpacho recipe grew from one in Craig Claiborne’s New York Times International Cookbook, my favorite cookbook. And here’s a fun bit of trivia: Craig Claiborne, longtime food editor of the New York Times, was born in Sunflower, Mississippi.
Ingredients
- 4 cups tomatoes with cores removed 2 1/2 to 3 pounds* or 1 28-ounce can whole tomatoes
- 1 1/2 cups peeled cucumber cut into large chunks
- 1/2 cup cucumber diced into small pieces for garnish (reserved)
- 1 green pepper seeded and cut into chunks
- 1 small clove garlic peeled and minced
- 5 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1/4 cup white wine vinegar or white vinegar wine vinegar is more distinctive
- 1 1/2 slices bread or 2 slices French bread
Instructions
- Place tomatoes, 1 1/2 cups cucumber, green pepper, garlic, olive oil, vinegar and bread into a blender. Blend until pureed.
- Pour through a kitchen sieve and press with the pestle to extract the liquid. Discard the seed and skins - they make great compost.
- Chill and serve in flat bowls with the reserved, diced cucumber as garnish.
Notes
Nutrition
Fresh tomatoes grown on the Farm
The basket in the photo is a treasure. It was a gift from Miss Sadie, who owned the original Big Mill grist mill. Long ago, she carried this very basket up town every week with three dozen eggs to trade for coffee, sugar, and anything she couldn’t grow herself. The cotton seeds are still tucked inside — her clever way of keeping the eggs from breaking.
I grew the tomatoes in my Big Mill Cook’s garden, tucked into the orchard where our livestock once grazed beneath the apple trees. It’s a place full of stories, and this basket is one of my favorites.
Big Mill Bed & Breakfast Extended Stay 252-799-8787
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