Cold Tomato Soup...? Not Exactly

When I was living in Spain, I spent my entire Summer exposing myself to foods I’d never heard of and pointing to things I couldn’t understand on Salamancan menus. You didn’t know that, did you? Yeah, I lived in Spain for an entire Summer when I was sixteen years old…probably the best thing I could’ve done from a growth perspective. Granted, I’d already spent two years away from home learning the ways of the WASP in Eastern Massachusetts; but even then my parents were relatively close-by…not an ocean away. I got over it, I enjoyed the hell out of Spain and ate some of the best food I’ve ever eaten.
Most of my stories about Spain, or at least the one’s I tell my friends, focus on the drinking side of things. When you’re sixteen years old and you’ve grown up in the contradictorily Puritanical United States, being in a place where you can legally buy alcohol and cigarettes is kind of a big deal. But pouring booze down my throat wasn’t the only thing I did that summer, I also ate a lot. I tried to sample everything, but I sustained myself on a handful of items: toasted jamon y queso sandwiches from the corner shop near my school; late-night churros from a roadside stand, with the most amazing chocolate dipping sauce; Long Island Iced Teas and white sangria from the Litro Bar; and Paella from a little restaurant off the Plaza Mayor. The Litro Bar was probably my favourite. Hidden on a narrow street, they served litre’s of just about anything that could get you drunk…for cheap! My girlfriend at the time, was fond of their Long Island Ice Tea, while I preferred their White Sangria or gin and tonic. Inevitably, I would finish my drink and then have to drink half of hers because, well, girls who weigh 100 pounds aren’t really big drinkers. That meant that after my 10 o’clock dinner, with my belly full; by midnight or one I was feeling no pain and had my dancing shoes on.
The two things that stand out from Spain…besides those churros…are carafe’s of white sangria and chilly bowls of gazpacho. When I lived with my host family, Monday’s were Gazpacho night. My host mom basically ran a rooming house with her apartment and her sister’s apartment a block away; that meant about seven or eight students sitting down to dinner…Gazpacho is cheap to make and when paired with some crusty bread can be pretty filling. The other thing that stands out is walking into a restaurant and ordering a sangria. I think I’d been in Spain for maybe a day or two and at the time knew virtually nothing about food. So when the waiter returned with some golden coloured liquid in a glass with fruit and ice floating in it; I was confused and called our waiter over to the table. I asked him, “I ordered a sangria, why isn’t it red?” He barely broke stride as he passed by and gave me a quizzical look, “es verano,” translation: it’s Summer, stupid. Since then, I’ve tried to approximate that sangria, that same crisp sweetness I first tasted sitting outside that little café with my bowl of paella.

A couple weeks ago I had Spain on the brain and made gazpacho and white sangria for some friends. My white sangria recipe is a variation of Rosa Mexicano’s with some elements of what I remember from Salamanca thrown in as well; but sadly, it’s a secret. My advice would be to start going to Rosa Mexicano, befriend the bartender and ask him nicely to give you the recipe…being able to speak Spanish helps. I will, however; give up my gazpacho recipe. It’s slightly spicy, and crisp, with a flavour that builds over time. Heirloom tomatoes are tasty and everything, but there’s a time and a place for everything and that place is not in gazpacho. I prefer plum tomatoes for their sweetness and general taste; I also don’t use as much water in mine as most recipes call for, because I don’t want my soup diluted and feel that the extra water doesn’t allow for the same change in terms of complexity of flavour. I think a little tomato juice or V8 is a better way to go, as are the addition of cucumber and jalapeno.

Gazpacho

6 Plum Tomatoes, peeled, but not seeded
1 Cucumber, seeded, but not peeled
1 Red Onion, diced
1 Jalapeno, halved and seeded
2 Cloves Garlic, peeled
½ Cup Crusty Bread, small dice
12 oz – Tomato Juice
4 oz – White Vinegar
Juice of 1 Lemon & 1 Lime
2 Tbsp Cayenne Pepper
Salt & Black Pepper, to taste
¼ Cup Cilantro, minced

Chop all vegetables into medium pieces and combine in a blender, food processor or soup pot. Blend vegetables, or puree with an immersion blender; then add bread, tomato juice, vinegar, cayenne and continue to blend. Season with salt and pepper to taste (Initially, the soup should be not overly spicy, and crisp from the cucumber and maybe a little salty. As the soup sits, the flavours should begin to change and the soup should begin to get more spicy.).
Pour gazpacho into a serving bowl, garnish with cilantro (if using) and serve with more bread.
Serves 4-to-6.

Next up: How to most effectively waste your money at the New Yankee Stadium.

* Those of you with an Eagle Eye might notice diced orange bell pepper in the picture. That's because its an old picture, and I didn't take a picture of the gazpacho from the other day.