Cooking with Blobby

This isn't cooking. No heat was involved. None. 

Yet it was messier and more time consuming than I expected. Not to say it is over the top, but I wanted neater and quicker.  .....like my sex. 

710 forwarded me a recipe on the Best Gazpacho.  

Eyes were rolled. 

I've attempted Gazpacho before - almost a decade ago. I don't remember it going well. I do remember me not making it ever again. Until now. 

I like the cold soup. 710 really likes it. There is little I won't do for the man. And it is still hovering around 90°F. It seemed like the right time. 

This recipe was similar to the last. A few differences that seemingly made it easier. Blender instead of food processor - which is pretty much equal. And a few less ingredients. No bread. No green pepper - though there is a different kind of pepper used this time. Maybe it was all just a wash. 

Let's get into it - shall we? 

Ingredients 

Yield: 8 to 12 servings, about 1 quart 

About 2 pounds ripe red tomatoes, cored and roughly cut into chunks 

1 Italian frying (cubanelle) pepper or another long, light green pepper, such as Anaheim, cored, seeded and roughly cut into chunks 

1 cucumber, about 8 inches long, peeled and roughly cut into chunks 

1 small mild onion (white or red), peeled and roughly cut into chunks 

1 clove garlic 

2 teaspoons sherry vinegar, more to taste 

Salt  

½ cup extra-virgin olive oil, more to taste, plus more for drizzling 

Procedure

Step 1 Combine tomatoes, pepper, cucumber, onion and garlic in a blender or, if using a hand blender, in a deep bowl. (If necessary, work in batches.) Blend at high speed until very smooth, at least 2 minutes, pausing occasionally to scrape down the sides with a rubber spatula. I

I would have liked to use the immersion blender, but it was on the fritz big time, so I had to transfer (in batches). More mess. More dirty appliances. 

Step 2 With the motor running, add the vinegar and 2 teaspoons salt. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil. The mixture will turn bright orange or dark pink and become smooth and emulsified, like a salad dressing. If it still seems watery, drizzle in more olive oil until texture is creamy. 

I also added a tablespoon of tomato paste. The hot house tomatoes just don't have the bigger flavour. I think adding it helped. That ingredient is not on the above list. 

There is difficulty slowly pouring olive oil in a blender and taking a picture at the same time - which is why you don't have one. 

Step 3 Strain the mixture through a strainer or a food mill, pushing all the liquid through with a spatula or the back of a ladle. Discard the solids. Transfer to a large pitcher (preferably glass) and chill until very cold, at least 6 hours or overnight. 

I did and didn't do this part. The blender, doing much of the work already made things mostly smooth. I tried to get it through a strainer I had, but all that was coming through was watered down liquid. Even if I could have gotten the rest through it would have been more like watered down tomato juice - and I didn't want that. 

I gave up and threw it all in a glass bowl (I don't have a large glass pitcher!) and put in in the fridge for a few hours. 

Step 4 Before serving, adjust the seasonings with salt and vinegar. If soup is very thick, stir in a few tablespoons ice water. Serve in glasses, over ice if desired, or in a bowl. A few drops of olive oil on top are a nice touch.

I garnished with some cucumber, tomato, onion and pepper. There was a drizzle of olive oil and red wine vinegar too. It did not need additional salt. 

This was a side to our salmon dinner last evening. It was light. It was flavourful. It was cool. Literally. The garnishes added a nice texture. 

I would do this one again. It came out much better than last.