Perhaps my favorite summer dish is gazpacho, the cold tomato soup that refreshes on these 90-degree days. The soup comes from the Andalusian area of Spain, where my son’s family lived for a couple of years recently.
It was a soup, originally garlic and vinegar with olive oil, that the Romans probably carried on maneuvers and that the Ottomans and Moors from Morocco enjoyed. Columbus probably served gazpacho on his voyages. Columbus returned from the Americas with tomatoes and peppers, which helped gazpacho evolve. And it continues to evolve—much like its cousin salsa, which is usually tomato-based, but can contain any number of summer fruits and veggies.
My son, Evan, learned how to make it from his neighbors in Cordoba, at the northern tip of the Andalusian region, and I have never been able to replicate the exquisite concoction he created. Most of the reason, I suspect, has to do with the Spanish olive oil he used. I consider it the best in the world and in Cordoba, it is a local product that you pick up at the outdoor market. My granddaughter’s best friend lived on an olive farm and you could get olive oil freshly squeezed from there.
But I soldier on, using canned and bottled ingredients (my son’s were all fresh), but I will apologize for nothing. This stuff is good without being great and sometimes good is just fine, thank you.
Here’s what you need for my version (ask my son if you want his):
- 1.5 quarts of V8 or other vegetable juice
- 1 can diced tomatoes (and its liquid; I prefer roasted tomatoes here)
- ½ medium sweet onion finely chopped (use a Vidalia right now)
- 1 whole finely chopped English cucumber
- ½ cup finely chopped carrots
- 3 stalks of finely chopped celery
- ¼ cup Worcestershire sauce
- Hot sauce to taste
- ½ cup of the best olive oil you can get your hands on (Oliveto on Rt. 419 in Roanoke, I understand, is carrying Spanish olive oil these days)
- Cilantro for garnish (and you can chop the stems, which have intense taste, into the gazpacho)
It’s all very simple from here. Once the veggies are taken care of in the food processor, simply combine everything, put it in the refrigerator for an hour and serve it cold, garnished with cilantro leaves.
About the Writer:
Dan Smith is an award-winning Roanoke-based writer/author/photographer and a member of the Virginia Communications Hall of Fame (Class of 2010). His blog, fromtheeditr.com, is widely read and he has authored seven books, including the novel CLOG! He is founding editor of a Roanoke-based business magazine and a former Virginia Small Business Journalist of the Year (2005).
