Marian Platt

September is called the golden month in the Pacific Northwest. Ponds lie calm and clear, the air is still, the haze gives a golden glint to the harvest moon and new snow begins to whiten the highest mountains. The days are shorter and cooler and a woody smell creeps into the crisp evening air.

The strawberries, raspberries and blackberries are long gone by now, but fall flowers are at their peak, and vegetables still come fresh from the garden and farm markets.

Now is a good time to make gazpacho - light, easily digested and thirst-quenching. Gazpacho is southern Spain's renowned cold vegetable soup. It has been mentioned in Greek and Roman literature as a "drinkable food," and references to it appear in both testaments of the Bible.

Gazpacho is made principally of whole tomatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers and onion and seasoned with olive oil and vinegar. It also is called a "liquid salad" sometimes. Traditionally it is thickened with water-soaked bread for extra body but many recipes skip the bread altogether. Some recipes call for putting mixture through a fine sieve to create a silky smooth texture, while others leave it chunky.

There's much discussion about the "resting time." Gazpacho is best served ice cold, allowing the flavors to develop and meld. One expert says that four hours is the minimum time required for the soup to chill and the flavors to blossom. There was no question about gazpacho being best when made when local tomatoes are plentiful, and the beefsteak ones proved to be the most popular. Red bell peppers are preferred, but no red onions - only sweet onions or shallots.



GAZPACHO

Makes 3 quarts, serving 8-10



3 ripe beefsteak tomatoes, cored and cut into 1/4-inch cubes (about 4 cups)

2 small red bell peppers, cored, seeded, and cut into 1/4-inch cubes (about 2 cups)

2 small cucumbers (about 1 pound), one peeled and the other with skin on, both seeded and cut into 1/4-inch cubes (about 2 cups)

1/2 small sweet onion or 2 large shallots, peeled and minced (about 1/2 cup)

2 medium garlic cloves, minced

2 teaspoons salt

1/3 cup sherry vinegar (white wine vinegar will work)

ground black pepper to taste

5 cups tomato juice

1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce

8 ice cubes



Combine tomatoes and their juices, bell peppers, cucumbers, onion, garlic, salt, vinegar and pepper in large bowl; let stand until vegetables just begin to release their juices, about 5 minutes. Stir in tomato juice, hot pepper sauce and ice cubes; cover tightly and refrigerate to blend flavors, at least 4 hours.

Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper, remove and discard any unmelted ice cubes and serve cold, drizzling each portion with about 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil.



Gazpacho may be garnished with more of the same diced vegetables, or garlic croutons, chopped black olives, chopped hard-cooked eggs or finely diced avocados.

recipe from "Cook's Illustrated"



MERRIBETH'S BLOODY MARY CRAB GAZPACHO

1 1/2 pounds of tomatoes, peeled and seeded

4 ounces red bell pepper, roasted and seeded

1 clove of garlic, minced

4 ounces cucumber, peeled and seeded

1/2 tablespoon horseradish, prepared

1/4 cup orange juice

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1/2 tablespoon champagne wine vinegar

2 tablespoons sherry vinegar

1 tablespoon basil, chopped

1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce



Put tomatoes, cucumber and red bell peppers in blender and puree until smooth.

Adjust seasonings with other ingredients.

Serve to 8 in shot glasses as an appetizer with garnish of fresh crab meat.



Another version -

2 medium cucumbers, peeled and coarsely chopped

5 medium tomatoes, peeled and coarsely chopped

1 large sweet onion, coarsely chopped

1 medium red bell pepper, de-ribbed, seeded and coarsely chopped

2 teaspoons finely chopped garlic

4 cups coarsely crumbled French bread, trimmed of crusts

4 cups cold water

4 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

4 teaspoons salt



Combine the coarsely chopped cucumbers, tomatoes, onion, bell pepper, garlic and crumbled bread and mix together thoroughly. Stir in the water; blend on high speed in blender for 1 minute. Pour the puree into a bowl and whisk in the olive oil and tomato paste. Cover bowl tightly and refrigerate for at least 4 hours. Just before serving, whisk soup lightly to recombine it.

Ladle it into a large, chilled tureen. Place small bowls around the tureen filled with garnishes such as bread cubes, chopped egg, onions, tomatoes, cucumbers, red and green peppers.

Serves 6-8

recipe from my files



The heat of the Andalusian part of Spain makes lightness the order of the day. Gazpacho meets that requirement.



Reach Marian Platt at 683-4691 or via e-mail at mlplatt@olypen.com.