Cellar Tastings

Gazpacho is a classic summer dish in Spain, light and refreshing. The key ingredient in Gazpacho is the tomato, brought to Spain from the “New World” in the 16th century, along with potatoes, peppers, corn and avocados. Gazpacho was for centuries considered to be the typical Andalusian peasant dish. It wasn’t until the mid 20th century, when doctors recognized the health benefits of the Mediterranean Diet that the upper classes of Spanish society began to value this simple but fantastic Spanish dish. With the tourist boom of the 1960’s on the southern Costa del Sol, Gazpacho began to become well known internationally, and today it is considered to be one of the most typical “platos” in Spain. With the first warm days of summer, Gazpacho appears on restaurant menus all over the country. It is one of the most delicious and healthiest Mediterranean recipes and can be served as an appetizer or even on its own. This recipe has been contributed to Cellar Tastings by Javier Francisco Martin Galan, a Madrid based Fashion Designer and Culinary Enthusiast.

Ingredients

• 2 pounds Large Red, Ripe (and fragrant) Tomatoes
• 1 large Cucumber, peeled
• Half loaf day old French Baguette (bread crumbs also work)
• 1 large, Green Bell Pepper (Italian green peppers are also perfect)
• 1 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 6 Spring Onions
• 1 Clove Garlic
• 3 Tablespoons white wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon Paprika (spicy or sweet)
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• 1 1/2 Quart Water

To Garnish (optional)

• Chopped avocado
• Diced Peppers

Preparation

Chop up bread into small pieces and soak in 1 cup water. Dice all of the vegetables and place in large bowel. Add bread and then the olive oil, stir. Pour three tablespoons of white wine vinegar into the bowel, the paprika, ½ quart of water and salt to taste. Add all of the contents of the bowel along with one quart of water to the blender, and blend for a few seconds until you reach the desired thickness. For thicker Gazpacho use less water. Place the blended gazapacho back in the bowel and chill for at least one hour before serving (or add ice cubes). You can garnish the bright cold soup with avocado cubes and diced peppers.

Try this dish with: Marques de Riscal Sauvignon Blanc from Rueda

Rueda is Spain’s most exciting wine region for good value white wines. Marques de Riscal, one of the oldest Rioja wineries, stopped making white wine in La Rioja in the ‘70’s. They searched for a wine region that they felt was better suited for white winemaking. Riscal discovered the Rueda region had perfect conditions and they introduced plantings of Sauvignon Blanc to the region as an experiment. The result was phenomenal, and today Sauvignon Blanc is frequently blended with the native Verdejo grape to produce clean, grassy, white wines. Rueda Sauvignon based whites are said to be halfway between New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs and French Sancerre’s. The Marques de Riscal Sauvignon Blanc is delicious, very fruity, zippy and perfectly balanced. Its acidity can stand up to the acidity in the Gazpacho from the tomato and the vinegar.