Photo by LaTur

Dish of the Week: Gazpacho

Where: Jaleo, La Taberna Del Alabardero, Le Pain Quotidien

There are few things more refreshing than a well-chilled gazpacho on a hot summer day. This summer soup showcases some of the best flavors of season, balancing fresh tomatoes, with cucumbers, peppers, and other veggies, depending on your recipe.

Such a satisfying dish, and yet a healthy option after weekends full of hot dogs and other summer treats. Serve it up as a an appetizer or side dish, alongside an avocado sandwich for lunch or some fresh fish for dinner, or dish out larger portions and opt for a lighter meal by making it your main course.

Really invest in some quality veggies for your gazpacho by swinging by the farmer’s market this weekend. Then try out this gazpacho recipe, which José Andrés attributes to his wife Patricia in his book, A Taste of Spain in America. Side note, I tried this recipe a few weeks ago and while you can just chill the gazpacho for a half an hour, the longer you leave it in the fridge (I suggest overnight) the better.

Patricia’s Gazpacho
Serves 4

INGREDIENTS
For the Gazpacho
2 pounds ripe red tomatoes (about 10 plum tomatoes)
8 ounces cucumber (about 1 cucumber)
3 ounces green pepper (about 1/2 bell pepper)
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
1 garlic clove, peeled
3/4 cup Spanish extra-virgin olive oil
Salt to taste

For the Garnish
1 tablespoon Spanish extra-virgin olive oil
1 slice rustic white bread
8 plum tomatoes, with the seeds prepared as “fillets”
12 cherry tomatoes, halved
1 cucumber, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
4 pearl onions, pulled apart into segments
2 tablespoons Spanish extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
Sea salt to taste
4 chives, cut into 1-inch long pieces

DIRECTIONS

1. Cut out and discard the core at the top of the tomatoes, and chop the tomatoes roughly into quarters. Place in the blender.

2. Peel the cucumber and cut into chunks. Add to the tomatoes in the blender. Cut the pepper in half, and remove the core along with the seeds. Again, chop into large pieces and place in the blender.

3. Add the garlic and sherry vinegar to the vegetables and blend until the mixture becomes a thick liquid. At this point the red tomatoes will turn a wonderful pink color. Taste for acidity. This will vary with the sweetness of the tomatoes. If it’s not balanced enough, add a little more vinegar. Add the olive oil and season with salt to taste. Re-blend, then pour the gazpacho through a strainer into a pitcher. Place in the fridge to cool for at least half an hour.

4. While the gazpacho is chilling, prepare the garnish. In a small pan, heat the olive oil over a medium-high flame and fry the bread until golden, about 2 minutes. Break into small pieces to form croutons and set aside.

5. To serve, place in each bowl 4 croutons, 2 “fillets” of tomato seeds, 4 cherry tomato halves, 3 cucumber cubes, and 3 onion segments. Add a few drops of olive oil to each onion segment and drizzle a little more oil around the bowl. Add a few drops of vinegar to each cucumber cube and drizzle a little more around the bowl. Sprinkle sea salt on the tomatoes, and sprinkle the chives across the bowl. Serve when the gazpacho is refreshingly chilled.

Small Bites

Edible Flowers
Speaking of José Andrés, his restaurant Oyamel (401 7th Street NW) is serving up dishes for its annual Squash Blossom Festival beginning this Friday and continuing through August 5th.

If drinking was a sport, you’d make it to the Olympics
In honor of the Olympics, a number of local bars and restaurants are concocting special drinks to celebrate the games. Bar Rouge (1315 16th Street NW) will be mixing up (from July 27 to August 12) “Rouge, White & Blue” cocktails, which are comprised of Bluecoat Gin, white peach puree, house-made hibiscus grenadine, and a splash of iced tea and lemon juice. 901 Restaurant & Bar (901 Nineth Street) will be screening the Olympic Opening Ceremony this Friday and serving “Go for Gold” and the “Shoot for Silver” drinks during an extended happy hour.

School’s In for Summer
This Saturday from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m., RIS (2275 L Street NW) continues their Summer School Sessions, with “a crash course in pairing beer with food,” led by Beer Connoisseur Thor Cheston. The class, which includes a variety of beers paired with small plates, costs $55 per person. To participate, email natalie@risdc.com or call (202) 730-2508.