A couple of recipes I just tried. I think these are going to be my "go-tos" for coarse and smooth. Purists will say these are not Gazpacho. I say they're really good.
I just made this with a mix of San Marzanos and heirlooms. I roasted the veggies longer. All produce fresh and local. Original is posted here:
http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2011 ... up-classes
Gazpacho al Chile Poblano
Note: Adapted from the personal recipe of Rita Benavides-Munoz.
Ingredients:
2 1/2 pounds vine-ripened tomatoes
1 large cucumber
1 red bell pepper
1 small piece day-old bread, about 3 inches, preferably baguette
1/4 cup sherry vinegar
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoons salt
2 poblano chilies
4 cloves garlic, unpeeled
1 small onion, quartered
Ice water
Croutons, chopped poblano, chopped cucumbers
1. Roughly chop tomatoes, cucumber, bell pepper and bread; place into
a bowl. Mix with sherry vinegar, 1/2 cup olive oil and salt. Cover;
refrigerate at least 2 hours.
2. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Spread poblanos, garlic and onion on a
baking sheet; drizzle with remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil. Roast
until poblanos are blistered, 10-15 minutes. Cool.
3. Peel garlic; skin, stem and deseed poblanos. Puree tomato mixture
in a blender on high speed, about 30 seconds. (You may need to do this
in batches.) Add the garlic, onion and poblanos; puree until creamy
and smooth. Taste for seasoning; add ice water if soup is too thick.
4. Cover; refrigerate until chilled, 2 to 3 hours. Serve with bowls of
croutons, chopped poblano and chopped cucumber for garnish.
Another I tried - used an immersion blender to keep it somewhat chunky. I know I used considerably less V-8 or TJuice than called for. And I did use the beef broth/stock. Adapted from this recipe:
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/ ... cho-105096
“It’s not authentic Gazpacho” Gazpacho
Serves 8
Ingredients
1 egg
4 large plum tomatoes, chopped
1 medium to large red, green, or yellow pepper - or a combo of small ones
1 cucumber, seeds removed and chopped
1 medium red onion, chopped
1/4 to 1/3 cup cup olive oil
Juice of 1/2 lemon
6 to 8 ozs beef broth (optional)
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup finely minced parsley
1 teaspoon dried oregano or Italian seasoning
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
Pepper, coarsely ground
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 medium to large jalepeno, minced
Kosher salt
24-32 ozs tomato or v-8 juice juice (use more if not including beef broth)
1/3 cup plain bread crumbs from rustic bread buzzed fine in blender or
food processor
Garnish (optional): chopped parsley, diced avocado, minced red onion,
chopped olives.
Preparation
Place egg in small pot of cold water, bring to boil, and let simmer
for 10 minutes.
In a pot or large bowl, combine tomatoes, pepper, cucumber, red onion,
olive oil, lemon juice, cold beef broth (optional), red wine vinegar,
parsley, oregano, Worcestershire, and coarsely ground black pepper to
taste. Stir.
Put garlic in a small bowl and sprinkle with a pinch of kosher salt.
When egg is finished cooking, run under cold water, remove shell, add
to garlic and salt mixture, and mash together with fork.
Pour tomato juice into large pot or bowl with vegetables, and add
garlic, egg, and salt mixture. Add bread crumbs and stir so that they
dissolve into liquid.
Using an immersion blender (my preference), traditional blender, or
food processor, blend lightly to make a pulpy but not smooth puree
(unless you want it smooth!). Taste for seasoning and add salt,
pepper.
Chill for at least 4 hours and serve.
Garnish with chopped parsley, diced avocado, minced red onion, and
chopped olives if desired.
Cook’s Notes: Recipe serves eight, and it’s not worth the trouble to
prepare this soup for one. But like homemade tomato sauce, its flavor
improves with age—you can store it in the refrigerator and eat it for
about a week.
Why mash the garlic with egg and salt? To make a garlic-infused paste
that adds body and substance to the tomato broth.
