GAZPACHO WITH NO TOMATOES?

 

Campesino, Mijas, 1968.

Gazpacho in one form or another is nearly as old as these hills, although it was not always the red tomato concoction so well-known today. 

Gazpacho evolved as summer sustenance for laborers working in the fields and olive groves. They mixed it in a large wooden bowl, thinned the bread-water-olive oil mixture with fresh spring water, and added whatever fresh ingredients were on hand—chopped cucumbers, onions, lettuce, figs, oranges. Field hands gathered around and dipped right into the communal bowl. 

In rural areas throughout Andalusia are found various sorts of rustic, peasant gazpacho with no tomatoes and no blender required. From Córdoba comes ensalada de caldo, “broth” salad, made with chopped lettuce, oil and vinegar, sometimes with the addition of raw fava beans, to which water is added. In Almería, gazpacho pobre, “poor gazpacho,” is simply chopped cucumber and onion, oil, salt and vinegar, diluted with water. And bread of course. Sometimes the bread is mashed up with garlic and olive oil; sometimes it is simply broken into bits and added to the soup. A “winter” gazpacho, from the Guadalhorce Valley (Málaga province), is popularly made with oranges, for which this valley is reknowned, instead of summer’s tomatoes. 

I’ve been making plenty of classic gazpacho with garden tomatoes, but, in honor of the cucumbers and a basket of fresh figs, here is a refreshing green gazpacho, the one called “poor.”

Gazpacho was traditionally made in a large wooden bowl.

"Poor" gazpacho of cucumbers is not so poor with fancy garnishes.

Peasant gazpacho of cucumbers, onions, figs, and bread is garnished with shredded lettuce, tomatoes, peppers and shrimp.

Peasant Gazpacho with Cucumber 

Gazpacho Pobre de Pepino

Best for gazpacho is day-old country bread, crusts removed. Traditionally, the bread is mashed with garlic and olive oil in a dornillo, a wooden bowl. But blending makes a more refined soup. Adding luxury ingredients such as shrimp takes it out of the peasant category!

No tomatoes in this gazpacho!

Serves 4.

1 cup fresh breadcrumbs

1-2 cloves garlic

 ½ cup water

1 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons lemon juice

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil + additional to finish

1 (8-ounce) cucumber

¼ cup chopped scallions

1 cup very cold water

Shredded lettuce

Chopped fresh figs

Mint sprigs

Croutons or bread to serve

Crushed ice (optional)

Cooked, peeled and chopped shrimp (optional)

Finely chopped green peppers (optional)

Chopped tomato (optional)

Place the breadcrumbs in a bowl or blender container with the garlic and ½ cup of water. Let it sit 10 minutes until the bread is softened. Add the salt, lemon juice and oil. Blend to make a smooth paste. If not serving immediately, cover and refrigerate the mixture.

Crushed ice adds sparkle.

When ready to serve the gazpacho, place the paste in a serving bowl and add the cold water. Peel the cucumber if the skin is very tough. Cut the flesh into ¼ -inch dice, discarding any seeds. There should be about 1 1/3 cups diced cucumber. 

Add the cucumbers to the bowl with the scallions, lettuce and figs. Garnish with sprigs of mint and drizzle with additional olive oil. Serve into shallow bowls accompanied by croutons. Add as desired crushed ice, shrimp, peppers, tomato.  

More recipes with cucumbers:

Chilled Cucumber-Yogurt Soup.

Cucumber-Almond Gazpacho.

Cucumber-Melon-Cheese Salad.

Salad with Purslane, Watermelon and Cucumber.

Cucumber Granita.

Country Gazpacho (tomatoes)

FISH DINNER FOR TWO

 After the houseful of visiting family and planning meals for a crowd, it’s been a quiet week cooking for two. I bought two lovely lubinas de ración, single-portion sea bass (each weighing about 1 ½ pounds) and had them opened up a la espalda—“on their backs”—or butterflied. I cooked them in no time on a gas grill and served them with an aliño of garlic, parsley, and olive oil.

Whole sea bass, one per person, are butterflied, grilled and served with a garlic-parsley sauce. 

A butterflied fish is quick to cook, whether on the grill or in the oven. At my local market, the fish vendor is accustomed to clean and cut-up the fish in any way you wish. I can shop at the vegetable stall while she does the messy work. 

If you’re doing it yourself, here’s how. Use a sharp boning knife or kitchen scissors and trim off the fins and the tail. If the fish is going to cook on the grill, don’t scale it. Scales protect the flesh from flare-ups and prevent the skin from sticking to the grill rack. (But if the fish is to be grilled on a plancha or roasted in the oven, scale the fish.  Place the fish on a sheet of newspaper. Scrape the scales off with a dull blade from the tail to the head. Roll up and discard the paper with the scales.) Use a heavy knife or cleaver to split open the head of the fish without severing the two halves. Place the fish on its side. With the sharp boning knife kept flat against the spine, cut the top fillet away from the bone, working from head to tail. Leave the fillet attached along the back. Open the fish “like a book.” Clean out the viscera but leave the spine in place until after the fish is cooked. 

Grilled Sea Bass

Lubina a la Parilla

2 whole sea bass  (each about 1 ½ pounds), butterflied 

Salt

Pepper

Lemon wedge

Garlic-Parsley Sauce to serve (recipe follows)

Smashed Potatoes to accompany (recipe below)

Hinged grill rack makes flipping fish easy.

Sprinkle the fish with salt and pepper and let it come to room temperature. Preheat gas grill or light charcoal. Wipe the grill rack with the lemon wedge. A hinged grill is useful for turning the fish. Lay the  fish open “on its back,” skin-side down, over the flame or coals. Grill about 5 minutes. Flip the fish (easy with a hinged grill) and grill the reverse side briefly. The fish is done when you can easily lift the spine from the flesh. 

Discard spine. Serve the fish, one per person. If grilling a larger fish, serving two, after discarding the spine, lift the fillets away from the skin and serve one fillet per person. Spoon the garlic-parsley sauce over the fish.

Simple sauce of fried garlic and parsley complements the fresh fish.

Garlic-Parsley Sauce for Fish

Aliño para Pescado

1/3 cup olive oil

4 cloves garlic, sliced

Red pepper flakes

3 tablespoons chopped parsley

2 tablespoons vinegar

Salt

Sauce for fish and potatoes.

Heat the oil in a small skillet and gently fry the sliced garlic until it begins to turn golden. Add the red pepper flakes. Remove the pan from the heat and add the parsley, vinegar and a pinch of salt. Stir the sauce before spooning it over grilled fish or vegetables. 

Smashed Potatoes

Patatas Aplastadas

In Spain, these small potatoes are marketed as patatas de guarnación, or “potatoes for garnishing.” 

Small potatoes

Olive oil

Coarse salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Garlic-Parsley Sauce (aliño)

Cook the unpeeled potatoes in salted boiling water until they are tender, about 10 minutes. Drain well. Place them on a work surface and with the palm of the hand or the bottom of a tea cup, press them gently to split the skins and flatten them slightly. (They can be cooked and smashed in advance.)

Heat the oil in a heavy skillet and brown the potatoes on one side. Place them on a plate, browned side up, and sprinkle them with salt and pepper. Spoon some of the garlic-parsley sauce on them to serve.

More ways to grill fish:

Plancha-Grilled Fish with Caper Sauce.

Grilled Trout Wrapped in Grape Leaves.

Grilled Corvina with Escalivada.

Grilled Albacore Tuna with Ponzu Sauce.

Plancha-Grilled Squid with Red Chile Sauce (Mojo Picón)

Grilled Sardines with Cornbread.

Grilled Swordfish Brochettes.

COOKING FOR A HOUSEFUL

This year my extended family spilled over the boundaries. Counting beds and heads, we realized we needed to rent additional space for all—sons, grandsons, the grandsons’ girlfriends, inlaws. We had a nearby step-grandmother too, with extra beds. At least once they all gathered at my house for a meal. 

Table is set for seven, awaiting the arrival of son, Daniel, and his inlaws, Juana and Jorge, who have just completed a week walking the Camino de Santiago. They picked up Daniel's wife, Eli, and their son, Lucas, who just flew in from Atlanta. My other son, Ben, returned from a day's work at Puerto Banus. 

I grilled four small chickens in the late afternoon and will serve them room temperature, accompanied by homemade mango chutney and garden salads. 

Green beans from the garden, canned kidney beans and corn kernels for one salad. The other is patatas aliñadas or potato salad with dressing on a platter with tomatoes from the garden, torn basil leaves and pieces of fresh goat cheese. (Recipe for the potato salad is here. How-to for grilled chicken is here.)

I de-boned the leftover chicken and added it to a spicy Moroccan stew with garden zucchini, carrots and dates to serve with couscous for another meal. (Recipe for Couscous with Vegetables and Dates.)

One morning the whole gang meets for breakfast at the casa de jubilados, the senior center in the pueblo, where elders like me get a 15 percent discount. Everybody ordered a serranito, a sandwich with griddled chicken breast, ham and green peppers on a small bun or whopper viena roll. (Recipe for serranito is here.) 

Gathering of the clans! Twelve for dinner on the terrace.  For starters I served salmorejo, a gazpacho alternative, with a topping of grilled corn kernels, avocado, scallions and green peppers. (Salmorejo recipe here.) 

We grilled pinchitos, small kebabs with spicy marinade (recipe is here, although the kebabs pictured above are of turkey, not lamb). 

The pinchitos were served with pita bread and tahini, cucumber raita, saffron rice, and zeilouk, a spicy Moroccan eggplant salad. (Recipe for zeilouk is here.)

And, always, a jug of gazpacho in the fridge. Perfect after a day on the beach. Those tomatoes and peppers are from the garden. We like gazpacho thinned to pouring consistency and served in drinking glasses. It's also terrific in bowls with garnishes of chopped vegetables and croutons. (Classic gazpacho recipe here.)