THE GAZPACHO GARDEN

My summer garden is a “gazpacho garden.” I´ve got onions and garlic, pulled up earlier in the summer, and now, with August heat, come the tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers.

Of course I’m making gazpacho. There’s usually a jug of it in the fridge, the perfect refreshment on a steamy summer afternoon. But I also enjoy variations on the gazpacho theme. So when I came across a recipe for a Gazpacho Salad—clipped from Gourmet magazine, June, 1970—I decided to give it a try. All the traditional gazpacho ingredients were chopped and layered in a tall glass jar with black olives and bits of briny anchovies in the mix and a dressing with shallot and parsley as well as the usual garlic, olive oil and vinegar.

Layered salad of chopped gazpacho ingredients--ripe tomatoes, cucumbers, green peppers and onions.

In the Gourmet spread, the gazpacho salad was the hors d’oeuvre for a picnic menu that included veal and tongue pie, deviled chicken and lemon meringue tarts. My rendition was a starter served on the patio while the pork chops grilled. I served it with spoons in short glass cups but I think it also would be good heaped on toasts and topped with anchovy fillets.

Salad chills in a glass jar, is served into glass cups as a starter.

Gazpacho salad has black olives and bits of anchovy.

Gazpacho Salad Gourmet
Ensaladilla de Gazpacho

Chop tomatoes, discard seeds.

It isn´t necessary to peel the tomatoes—but the variety of tomato I’m using has such tough, leathery skin that I prefer them peeled. They’re easy to peel with a knife or peeler—no need to plunge in boiling water which takes away the fresh taste of raw tomatoes. They are best chopped by hand, discarding as many seeds as possible. The other vegetables can be chopped by hand or in a food processor.

Makes 8-10 hors d’oeuvre-size servings.

Chopped vegetables are layered in a jar.

3 ½ cups chopped tomatoes (about 2 pounds tomatoes)
2 cups peeled and diced cucumber
1 ½ cups diced green pepper
1 cup diced onion
Salt
12 pitted black olives
6 canned anchovy fillets, chopped
1 shallot, chopped
2 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
¼ teaspoon cumin
2 tablespoons Sherry vinegar
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
Lemon juice, as desired

 

In a deep bowl or 1 ½ -quart glass jar alternate layers of tomatoes, cucumber, green pepper and onion. Sprinkle each layer with salt and intersperse with olives and chopped anchovies.

In a mini-processor, chop the shallot, garlic and parsley with ½ teaspoon salt. Add the cumin, vinegar and oil and process until dressing is smooth. Pour the dressing over the layered salad. Cover and chill the salad for at least 3 hours or overnight.

Sprinkle the salad with lemon juice, if desired, and serve it in small bowls.

Related recipes:

Classic Andalusian Gazpacho.

Gazpacho Variations.

Chunky Country Gazpacho.

Fresh Tomato and Pepper Salad (Pipirrana).