spanish vibes

After our trip to Spain, we added another item to our "we can definitely make this at home" list: gazpacho. I mean, aside from, say, grilling a chicken breast or baking a potato, soup is one of the easiest things to make in the kitchen. And in this heat, gazpacho sounds awfully enticing, you know?

B found this recipe online and it was insultingly easy. If you can manage to chop some vegetables and dump them into a blender, truly, you've got this under control. The only thing you have to take into account is that the chopped veggies need to refrigerate for 24 hours, or at least overnight.

We wanted to make a classic gazpacho the first time. From here, we plan to branch out into different varieties, but we've learned it's always smart to start with the classic first and see what changes/additions/subtractions we might like to make.

As it turns out, we really don't need to make any. The jalapeño was perfect - not too spicy (well, for us), but with a slow heat that builds. If you're sensitive to spice I might only use half, but you need to use some. Everything else was wonderfully balanced. The tomatoes, peppers, and cucumber all seemed to go well together. This would be an easy recipe for a dinner party. Just marinate the chopped veggies for 24 hours, then blend right before the party. Everyone will think you're totally fancy. And I won't tell them any differently if you won't.

olé and adios,
E & B

a work in progress

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classic gazpacho

ingredients:
3 pounds tomatoes, cored and coarsely chopped
1 seedless cucumber, peeled and coarsely chopped
2 red bell peppers, coarsely chopped
1 jalapeño, seeded and coarsely chopped (we used one from our crop!)
1/4 cup sherry vinegar
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
freshly ground sea salt and black pepper

directions:
Mix ingredients well in a large bowl.
Refrigerate overnight.
In a blender, puree vegetables until smooth.
Strain soup into a deep bowl and season with more salt and pepper if needed.
Pretend you're in Barcelona (or Reus).

nutrition:
The recipe says it makes 8 servings, each at 125 calories. Not too shabby for a refreshing, garden-fresh cold soup on a hot summer day. We paired it with Monday's blog post homemade rosemary bread, which of course raised the calories, but even by itself it's pretty awesome.

Recipe taken from Food and Wine.