In my opinion, there is absolutely nothing more delicious than a garden tomato pulled right off the vine, especially when it’s still warm from the summer sunshine. While the tomato season seemed impossibly late this year, we still have a TON of tomatoes on the vines both at our home and at the vineyard, which is a special treat this late in the game. When a full-blown 100 degree + heatwave kicked in last week, we decided to make some gazpacho for guests coming through for the weekend. Truth be told, I’ve been dying to create a gazpacho since we were in France in May during one of the hottest heat waves they’ve ever had on record. During our adventures, we ducked into La Bastides de Gordes Palace, an absolutely stunning luxury hotel in the south of France, for a quick reprieve from the heat. We ventured to the bar for something cold and were met with a wonderful “surprise and delight” tray of gazpacho with our wine. It was such a welcomed break from the heavy cuisine we’d been enjoying during our trip and given the fact that we were so hot, and that the gazpacho was delivered without us even needing to ask, we were thrilled.
This recipe (modified slightly from the NY Times Best Gazpacho recipe after some trial and error) was what we decided to blend up last weekend and it was absolutely incredible. I have a feeling the heat isn’t totally gone for the year so hopefully you’re able to test it out before the season is over.
PS: Pair with one of my favorite Sauv Blancs if you’re in the mood 🙂
LATE SUMMER GAZPACHO
Yield: ~1 quart (eight 1/2 cup servings)
Wine pairing: Sauvignon Blanc
INGREDIENTS
2.25 lbs assorted vine ripened tomatoes, halved, cored, and seeded *see note below*
1 small/medium yellow or sweet onion, roughly chopped
1 clove garlic
1 Anaheim pepper, cored, seeded, and cut into chunks
1 medium cucumber, peeled and cut into chunks
2 tsp sherry or red wine vinegar
2 tsp sea salt + more for garnish
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil + more for garnish
6 basil leaves + more for garnish
*Note: We used a variety of tomatoes to maximize the depth of flavor. I used what we had ripe in the garden: heirloom, roma, and golden cherry tomatoes which I think pack the most flavor for your punch of the three. We did not seed the cheery tomatoes and opted to throw them in whole.
DIRECTIONS
Combine tomatoes, onion, garlic, basil leaves, and pepper in a high power blender (I use this one). Blend on high for 2 minutes.
While the motor is still running, add vinegar and 1 tsp. salt. Next, slowly add olive oil into the blender in a steady stream. If you have ever made your own mayonnaise, you may be familiar with this technique. Your gazpacho will start to emulsify into a wonderful whipped consistency with the addition of the olive oil.
Once all ingredients are thoroughly combined (total blending time of roughly three minutes), pour gazpacho through a fine mesh strainer or sieve, pressing mixture through with the back of a spoon if necessary. Discard solids and taste gazpacho for flavor. Add more salt, vinegar, or basil if needed and blend for one more minute if so.
Pour into a glass pitcher, cover, and refrigerate for 6 hours or overnight. When ready to serve, pour in chilled glasses (I used these), and garnish with a drizzle of olive oil, flakey sea salt, and a sprig of basil.
Pair with a crisp Sauvignon Blanc and enjoy! Cheers!
GAZPACHO ESSENTIALS: