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Dinner Tonight: Cool Summer Gazpacho

Posted by Blake Royer, August 20, 2009 at 4:00 PM

I love flipping through people's old recipe clippings—the yellowed curling newspaper scraps with fading print and faint notes in pencil, collected in folders, pressed between sheets of plastic, or just thrown in a box. The recipes are the beloved, tried-and-true ones that have stuck around. That's, of course, where I found this gazpacho recipe, which came from an old cookbook called Piret's, named after a now-defunct restaurant in San Diego.

It's not the simplest or the freshest gazpacho, like those made simply from puréed summer tomatoes; the recipe makes the interesting choice of using beef broth and tomato juice, which is probably a sign that the recipe is showing its age (the book was published in 1985). But the mixture, which is expertly seasoned with paprika, provides a savory base for pepper, cucumber, and onion pieces, and is incredibly refreshing. It's also a recipe that one could stock away for times when tomatoes aren't in season.

About the author: Blake Royer founded The Paupered Chef with Nick Kindelsperger, where he writes about food and occasional travels. After a year in Estonia, he's now living in Chicago.

Cool Summer Gazpacho

- serves 4 -

Adapted from Piret's by George and Piret Munger.

Ingredients

1 cup ounces tomato juice
2 cups beef broth
1 1/2 cups chopped red or green pepper
3/4 cup chopped onion
1 chopped English cucumber
1/3 cup lemon juice
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon paprika
1 clove garlic, minced or pressed
1/2 cup chopped parsley
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper

Procedure

In large bowl, combine all ingredients. If desired, purée. Cover and chill for at least 30 minutes, preferably a few hours.

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Tags: Dinner Tonight, gazpacho, soups, vegan, vegetarian

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