Yid.Dish: Heirloom Gazpacho
Image by JCarrot
I am a little embarrassed to admit that The Jew & The Carrot went the entire summer last year without sharing a recipe for gazpacho. Of course gazpacho – a cold soup which has its roots in Southern Spain – does not obviously belong in the “Jewish food” category. Still, as Tamar rightly pointed out, when summer rolls around, the last thing you want is a pot of cholent steaming up the kitchen. Or at least, as someone who lives sans air conditioning, I don’t want no stinking pot of cholent.
In these moments of mid-summer heat, Gazpacho boldly comes to the rescue, offering a flavor-packed soup without the shvitzing. It also begs you to head to the farmers’ market (or your backyard) and buy the ripest heirloom tomatoes (like the ones I found above) and crispest bell peppers and cucumbers possible.
Shame on us for neglecting to share the wonders of summer gazpacho with you last year – we hope you accept the recipe below along with our deepest and most sincere apologies.
Shabbat Heirloom Gazpacho
This is by no means a “traditional” gazpacho recipe, but it is tasty! According to Wikipedia, Gazpacho descends from “an ancient Andalusian concoction based on a combination of stale bread, garlic, olive oil, salt, and vinegar – a cold bread soup.” The tomato and bell pepper additions bean with the Columbian Exchange in 1492, when a whole new series of vegetables were introduced to Europe.
4-5 ripe heirloom tomatoes, diced
2 green peppers, de-seeded and diced
1 large or 3 small (kirby, etc.) cucumbers, de-seeded and diced
4 cups tomato juice
Juice of one lemon
A few dashes of hot sauce
2 tablespoons chopped, fresh parsley
1 tablespoon chopped, fresh mint
Salt/pepper to taste
Put all ingredients in a large bowl and mix together. Cover with lid or Saran Wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving. To serve: Stir soup, ladle into bowls and top with more chopped parsley, mint, and a dollop of sour cream or croutons.
I personally like a really chunky gazpacho, but if you want a smoother texture to your soup, you can puree half of it with a hand blender or standard blender.
A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.
At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse..
Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
