More Tomatoes And A “Gazpacho” Recipe

I’m almost certain that we’ve passed the half-way mark as far as our tomato harvest is concerned. In fact, if Pep isn’t fibbing we’ll probably only be having one or two more bottling sessions. I’ll believe it when I see it though.
(This is the link to the page where I explain how we do the bottling)

Thanks to Pep’s constant attention to the tomato plants, this year the bugs haven’t got to the fruit as much as past years. Last year, the crickets (“grillos”) were feasting on our precious tomatoes more than we were and it’s incredibly difficult to keep little flies from damaging them. Because everything we do is eco, it can sometimes seem impossible to keep pests at bay but we’re learning new ways of protecting our produce all the time.

From planting basil in between the plants to spraying them with various different concoctions, the percentage of spoilt fruit has decreased immensely. We’ve been using diatomaceous earth (“tierra de diatomea”) and potassium soap (“jabón potásico”), not together that is, mixed with water and then sprayed on to the plants. Recently though we’ve heard that diatomaceous earth might be harmful to bees and wasps if sprayed onto the plants so we’ve stopped using it this way. The last thing we want is to hurt these highly important insects.

Potassium soap is safe for bees so we’re now using that and our tomatoes are much healthier. You do have to be quite consistent though, spraying just once won’t do the trick. Next year we will also try neem oil (“aceite de neem”), this is supposed to be very useful and doesn’t harm beneficial insects.

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Personally, I hate using anything and feel all insects should be allowed to live (I’m a bit soppy that way). The trouble is, if we didn’t use some sort of ecological insecticide we would hardly have any unblemished tomatoes so I’m going to have to put up with it.

Aside from making lots of “Salmorejo Cordobés” which I posted about not long ago (post and recipe here), another way we use up a few kilos of tomatoes without having to use any heat at all is the well known “Gazpacho Andaluz” (not to be confused with “Gazpacho Manchego“, a warmer, heartier dish, more appropriate on a winter’s day than in the heat of the summer).

“Gazpacho Andaluz” (I’ll just call it Gazpacho from now on) is a delicious, cooling soup, perfect as a starter or a light meal on very hot days. I sometimes enjoy a glass mid-morning, almost as if you were having a glass of juice. It really is a marvellous way to refresh yourself when you’re feeling the heat.

Most households will have their own way of making it, some add bread, some add vinegar and the quantities of each ingredient often differ from one cook to another. Some even omit an ingredient if they don’t have it on hand or they prefer it without. It can also be topped with small pieces of chopped onion, pepper, croutons,… but I rarely do this, preferring just a drizzle of olive oil to finish off the dish.

There are also different methods to make it. Some prefer it smooth (like me) so you’ll need to strain it, others like a more chunkier version and don’t bother with this part. Eating out, I don’t think I’ve ever had two gazpachos that are the same, but that doesn’t stop them from being equally delicious.

Obviously it will taste so much better if you use homegrown, tasty, ripe tomatoes, either your own or from an eco market or farmer’s market (or if you’re lucky enough to have a neighbour or friend who has too many).

When I make it I use tomatoes, green Italian peppers, cucumbers, a small piece of onion, garlic, olive oil and salt. First, I prepare the tomatoes as I do when I make Salmorejo, blitzing them first then straining to remove the pips. Some people blitz all the veggies together and then strain it but I don’t think that’s necessary. If you add bread, do this after you’ve strained it.

Once the tomatoes are strained I add the rest of the ingredients to a blender and pour on the prepared tomatoes. I strain them straight into the blender on top of the rest of the veg. Blitz it all for 2 to 3 minutes until completely smooth and chill in the fridge till it’s nice and cold. It really is that simple, the perfect recipe for not having to spend too much time in the kitchen.

Well, that’s it for today. A short and sweet post, especially after the last one which was a bit longer than I would have liked but I can’t seem to shut up sometimes!! We’re off shortly to do a gig in the Moraira/Teulada Voramar Street Festival so I best go and get ready. If you would like a bit more info about the Street Festival, here’s a link explaining a bit about it plus this year’s timetable. There are a couple of photos of our group too, Daisy’s Swing Band.

And here are 3 photos that a local photographer took of us last Saturday in Teulada. Unfortunately there aren’t any of the band together, maybe tonight they’ll take a few more.

Cheerio for now. Take care. As always, if you would like to contact us regarding anything whatsoever, please feel free to do so, we’d love to hear from you. Thanks for reading. Love Georgie and Pep xxx

Gazpacho Andaluz

A wonderful, cooling soup full of the flavours of summer

5 from 1 vote

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Course Soup

Cuisine Mediterranean

Ingredients

  

• 1 kilo tomatoes, weighed after you've removed the core
• 1 Spanish cucumber (the shorter ones)
• 1 Italian Green Pepper
• 50 grams onion
• 1 garlic clove
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 2-3 good pinches of salt, or to taste
• 50 grams white crustless bread, optional
• 30 ml white wine vinegar, optional

Instructions

 

• Blitz the tomatoes with an immersion blender or a normal blender until smooth
• Strain the tomatoes using a colander or a sieve to remove the seeds and skins (optional)
• Add all ingredients, along with the strained tomatoes to a blender and blitz for 2 to 3 minutes until completely smooth. If you're using bread or vinegar (or both) add at this stage along with all the veg.
• Chill in the fridge until very cold. Serve with a drizzle of olive oil or with chopped pepper and onions

Keyword Gluten Free,, Vegan