Gazpacho: So ours, so eternal
On August 1, the result of a study carried out by Madison Market Research with this premise came to light: What does summer taste like? Of a total of 2,000 people surveyed and tastes varying according to autonomous communities, 34% said yes to gazpacho as the flavor of summer compared to other ambassadors of summer gastronomy such as the barbecue (17%) or the salad (12%).
A DELIGHT THAT TURNS 500 YEARS
A summer is inconceivable without gazpacho. Because gazpacho is still like the Osborne bull; As you see him from afar, you know that you are at home, in your land.
It is not surprising that celebrity chefs like Jamie Oliver either Gordon Ramsay , some of them with a Michelin star solar system, have versioned with more or less success the recipe for the quintessential Spanish "cold soup" . Of course, with a barrage of criticism as vehement and feverish as the flies that hover around the snout of a cow.
Although its origin is quite uncertain, It is known that in Muslim Spain in the 7th century, a kind of basic gazpacho was already eaten which consisted of breadcrumbs soaked in water, garlic, oil and vinegar. The region where its appearance is estimated is in the Inland Andalusia and the south of Castilla la Mancha , areas in which the cultivation of the vegetables that compose it is a fact.
It is obvious that until America was discovered, the tomato could not be included in the recipe, basically because it did not exist in Spain. Over the centuries, he he gazpacho recipe was modernized and sold abroad , starting with the neighboring country and the influence of Napoleon.
The greatest gift for gazpacho was the invention of food processors at the beginning of the 20th century, the possibility of saying goodbye to the soreness caused by mortars in the arms has been the manna of thousands of housewives (who were the ones who cooked) until the arrival of modernity. Until we get to today, when there are so many electronic gadgets for cooking that we have already lost our way. Or not...
Gazpacho with Jerte cherries
ONE OF THE BEST GAZPACHOS IN SPAIN
Without a doubt, olive oil is a basic ingredient to obtain a good gazpacho. . In fact, one of the best gazpachos in Spain is found in the Jaen town of baeza , in the famous Juanito Restaurant, which since 1953 has been making a gazpacho with one of the best extra virgin olive oils in the world, the one that comes from the Sierra Mágina olives.
tell us Peter Salcedo , head chef of the restaurant, who has not hesitated to open the door for us: “In order to obtain a good gazpacho, in addition to using a certain quality tomato and a full-bodied EVOO, the important thing is to find the perfect balance in its mixture. Use a light vinegar, without too much body so that it is not the protagonist, salt is very important, nothing like a bland gazpacho, looking for a pleasant texture, that has its degree of thickness is essential and in my opinion the most important thing, do not mix it with ham, cucumber, green pepper or onion, gazpacho must be taken in all its splendor to savor the fantastic nuances it offers us , if anything, some pieces of fried bread in extra virgin olive oil, that is, some tostones”.
And he further adds that gazpacho must be taken with a spoon and not drunk in a glass ; in this way, in each spoonful there will be enough pause to obtain all its nuances.
As it could not be otherwise, in Juanito they use the native product . Tomatoes are very important when it comes to making a gazpacho, which is why their menu only offers it in the summer season, unlike salmorejo, which is kept all year round.
“The tomatoes that I always use are from the type of land maiden skin from the gardeners of Baeza, they are organically grown tomatoes and offer us the flavor that a good gazpacho should have. In addition to an EVOO brought directly from our oil mill “Aceites Viana” made from the fruits of our farms in Jaén”, says Pedro.
And its flavor is sidereal.
Restaurant Juanito
BACIRA ENJOY THE FRUIT
Not long ago we told you about the fruit gazpachos that are so successful in The Delicacy of the Conuco , the piece of Venezuela of the Antón Martín Market . Substituting part of the tomato (or all) and jumping into the pool to create a different and fun gazpacho is older than rolling downhill. Some, like Quique Dacosta and his flirtation with red fruits, raise it to the nth degree of good taste and innovation; while others, on many occasions, limit themselves to making salty fruit compotes. I'm sorry, but we already have an age.
The ode to fruity gazpacho sounds like the Pied Piper of Hamelin in Bacira _(Castillo, 16) _, one of the most successful restaurants in the capital. His cherry gazpacho with ginger ice cream and prawn tartare causes absolute pilgrimage and we had to find out.
The secret has been revealed to us Carlos Langreo , one of Bacira's kitchen wizards: “ As soon as the cherry season begins, this dish returns to our menu . The cherry gazpacho, which is a cherry puree -to which we add tomato, vinegar, oil, salt and water- is accompanied by a tiger prawn tartar (we chop the prawns and add chives, oil, salt and lime juice, mix well to marinate and keep cold) and finish it off with a ginger ice cream. The trick and the success of the dish is probably this ice cream, which gives it both a citrus touch and even more freshness. In addition, we play with three very different textures whose mixture is very pleasant on the palate ”. And we believe.
For Langreo, the trick to make his gazpacho perfect is to macerate all the chopped vegetables, whose base is in ripe tomato, cucumber, garlic, red pepper and onion . This process is done overnight in the oil and vinegar. Of course, always extra virgin olive oil.
“ I put bread crumbs and a little water, because I like it thick ; and I add a little cumin. That touch is very personal since there are people who don't like it”, says Langreo. The reality is that the Bacira gazpacho is simply spectacular.
Bacira (Castle, 16)
AND DON'T FORGET THAT...
1. It's a Molotov cocktail of superfoods. Antioxidant bomb and firecracker of beta-carotene and vitamin C, for sun and sports lovers.
two. Ajoblanco is a typical gazpacho from many areas of southern Spain that is made with almonds instead of tomato and accompanied with melon or grapes.
3. Salmorejo and gazpacho are cousins but not brothers. In addition to only having tomato, the salmorejo does NOT have water. Let's have the party in peace.
Four. The gazpacho at the Viridiana _(Juan de Mena, 14) _ restaurant in Madrid is legendary.
5. In some areas of Cadiz, hot gazpacho is very typical . It is said that the traditional thing is to serve it in a container so that everyone eats around “with spoons”.
6. Gazpacho can get you out of a lot of trouble. That was what Almodóvar thought in Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown.
The gazpacho from 'Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown'