This time of year, with its abundance of fresh tomatoes – in backyards across Carson City and certainly at Third & Curry Street Farmer’s Market, begs for this recipe, which traditionally requires no cooking, is served cold and is the perfect meal or first course appetizer on a hot Summer day.
Course: Appetizer or Main Course Cuisine: Spanish Prep Time: Cook Time: Servings: 4 - 14
2 cups fresh, ripe tomatoes, chopped and seeded
1 cup chopped and seeded cucumber
1 cup chopped sweet onion
1⁄4 cup Anaheim pepper (you can also use pacillia or jalapeño peppers depending on the degree of spiciness you prefer)
1⁄2 cup roughly chopped king or queen-sized pimento-stuffed green olives
10 roughly chopped garlic cloves (approximately 2 tablespoons)
1⁄4 cup Spanish sherry vinegar
1⁄2 cup dry sherry wine
Tomato Preparation: You will need 4 quarts of tomatoes, so approximately 10, 4-inch tomatoes; adjust if using a smaller variety. I prefer organically-grown Heirloom tomatoes, but Beefsteak or Roma will also work. Blanch 8 to 10 minutes, until skins look like they’re falling off and then place them in cold water momentarily. This is called shocking, where the temperature changes rapidly from hot to cold. Drain.
Place all ingredients in a bowl and mix gently together. One portion at a time (there will be about four portions total), run ingredients through your food processor until fully pureed or adjust to meet your personal taste. Personally, I like my gazpacho in between.
Season to taste using fine sea salt and fresh ground pepper.
I like to serve it warm or kicked up by adding a bit of chili sauce. Keep in mind the peppers in the gazpacho will heat up. You may want to let the flavors bloom a bit before adding chili sauce.
