Gazpacho

By:

Mary Sue Milliken

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Updated:

2016-03-26 22:51:49

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Gazpacho is a perfect first course for nearly anything you choose to serve in the heat of the summer — except for a tomato-based entrée. Gazpacho is one of those simple uncooked dishes where a quality olive oil makes a great deal of difference. So haul out that expensive extra-virgin olive oil you got as a present for your last birthday and let it pour!

Preparation time: 20 minutes, plus 2 hours chilling time

Yield: 4 servings

1 slice white bread, crusts removed

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

3 cups tomato juice, plus more if needed to thin the soup

6 pickling cucumbers

4 scallions

1 red bell pepper

2 cloves garlic

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

3 jalapeño chiles

1 teaspoon sugar

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Sliced chives

Place the bread on a plate, sprinkle it with the vinegar, and let sit until thoroughly moistened, 5 minutes.
Peel, seed, and dice the cucumbers.
Thinly slice the scallions.
Seed and dice the bell pepper.
Combine the tomato juice, cucumbers, scallions, and red pepper in a large bowl.
Transfer about 1/4 of the vegetable mixture to a blender or food processor.
Peel the garlic cloves.
Stem, seed, and chop the jalapeños.
Add the moistened bread, garlic, olive oil, jalapeños, sugar, salt, and pepper to the food processor.
Puree until smooth.
Pour the puree into the bowl with the vegetables.
Stir to combine.
Thin with more tomato juice, if desired, and adjust seasonings to taste.
Chill for at least 2 hours.
Serve cold and garnish with chives.

About This Article

About the book author:

Mary Sue Milliken may be “a gringa from the Midwest,” but she fell deeply in love with Mexican food when first introduced to it more than 20 years ago. She and fellow chef Susan Feniger became friends in the late ’70s while working in the otherwise all-male kitchen of a prestigious French restaurant in Chicago called Le Perroquet. After honing their skills in fine restaurants in France and America, they opened their first restaurant, the highly celebrated City Café, in Los Angeles in 1981. These days, they divide their time between their three restaurants, Border Grills in Santa Monica and Las Vegas, and the upscale Ciudad in downtown Los Angeles. They also have authored five previous cookbooks, including Mexican Cooking For Dummies, host the popular Television Food Network series, Too Hot Tamales, and are heard regularly on Southern California radio.

Susan Feniger may be “ a gringa from the Midwest,” but she fell deeply in love with Mexican food when first introduced to it more than 20 years ago. She and fellow chef Mary Sue Milliken became friends in the late ’70s while working in the otherwise all-male kitchen of a prestigious French restaurant in Chicago called Le Perroquet. After honing their skills in fine restaurants in France and America, they opened their first restaurant, the highly celebrated City Café, in Los Angeles in 1981. These days, they divide their time between their three restaurants, Border Grills in Santa Monica and Las Vegas, and the upscale Ciudad in downtown Los Angeles. They also have authored five previous cookbooks, including Mexican Cooking For Dummies, host the popular Television Food Network series, Too Hot Tamales, and are heard regularly on Southern California radio.

Helene Siegel is the co-author of City Cuisine, Mesa Mexicana, Cooking with the Too Hot Tamales, and Mexican Cooking For Dummies. She also is the author of The Ethnic Kitchen series and 32 single subject cookbooks in the best-selling Totally Cookbook series. Her articles have appeared in the Los Angeles Times, the Times Syndicate, Fine Cooking, and on the Web at cuisinenet.com.

This article can be found in the category:

Mexican Recipes