Strawberry Gazpacho from the Don Julio dinner last week. AMAZING paired with the blanco.
My first encounter with gazpacho was a cinematic one. I went through quite a Pedro Almodovar phase in college, and gazpacho plays a key plot point in Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown. I wasn’t entirely sure what gazpacho was at the time, but it seemed very refreshing and extremely sophisticated. Once I actually tasted it, sans the movie’s sleeping pill ingredient, I was truly hooked and I would conservatively estimate that in peak tomato season, I make gazpacho at least three times a week.
At the Don Julio dinner that I attended last week, the amuse was this great shot of gazpacho, which was an amazing pairing the the blanco tequila, which makes sense, since sangrita (which often, but not necessarily authentically has tomato juice in it) is the traditional accompaniment to tequila. There were strawberries in it, which was new to me. But it really brought out to sweet, earthy, cooked agave notes of the Don Julio Blanco, as well as highlighting the citrus tones.
It began my gazpacho craving for the season, but tomatoes are not quite here yet. During tomato season I eat several pounds of the fruit a week, if not a day, but off-season I nearly have an aversion. But when I was at the greenmarket I came across tomato juice at the magnificent Miglorelli stand. And already had an obscene amount of strawberries in my bag, so I set about to recreate the soup.
Since I was using just juice, no tomatoes, I upped the amount of bread and cucumbers I used for texture. I like my gazpacho with some heft and lots of spice.
Strawberry Gazpacho Recipe
2 large slices of artisanal white bread
1 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic
2 pounds strawberries
1 red bell pepper, seeded
1 jalapeño pepper, some seeds left in
3 cucumbers, peeled and seeded
2 cloves garlic
1/2 red onion
1 cup tomato juice
3 tablespoons red-wine or balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Sea salt
Black pepper
Cilantro for garnish
Brush the bread with olive oil and brown the bread in the toaster oven or under a broiler. When it is brown and toasty, rub the garlic clove over it well. Set it aside.
Dice the berries, peppers, cucumbers, onions and garlic, and combine with tomato juice, vinegar, and olive oil. Let marinate at at room temperature for about 4 hours. Throw the diced mixture into a blender with the toast and blitz until it is the texture you like in a gazpacho, I like mine with a little chunk to it. You can also add a good squeeze of lime juice. When you serve it top with salt, pepper, a drizzle of olive oil, and some cilantro leaves.
