Seasonal eating, always popular in France (and more and more, in the states) is even stronger in the countryside, where the fruits fall from trees in backyard orchards and everyone’s potager is groaning with veggies. We stuff ourselves with cherries in the spring, we gather wild asparagus. We feast on the luscious Cavaillon melons in June, and pluck peaches from our trees. And now, in mid-summer, we are awash in zingy red tomatoes, glossy cucumbers, and all the fruits of the vegetable patch. Must be time to make gazpacho!
Now there many ways to make gazpacho. You can keep it simple, or you can thicken it with bread crumbs or enrich it with cream. There are also two major camps: the chunky crowd and the smooth group. I was always in the chunky camp and turned up my nose at the puréed stuff. That is, until I met Alix. Her recipe is now my one and only recette for gazpacho.
Loyal Readers, you may remember Alix, a fellow southern girl, from my post of May 31: we shot Alix and Paul’s lovely house in Provence for the Country French Bookazine (which should be out soon, I’ll let you know!). Alix got this recipe from a friend in Spain, and she made it for us on a warm spring day. It immediately entered into the food memory hall of fame for everyone à table. It’s also quite easy and a crowd pleaser, for a party.
I had a gazpacho recently at a French restaurant, and they served it with tiny bowls of goodies for garnishing. This idea works well with Alix’s recipe, and adds a little fun. So when I serve the soup, I do it family style and pass a plate of small bowls filled with chopped avocado, sliced limes, creme fraiche, chopped red onion, and chopped basil. Everyone gets to garnish their own.
This gazpacho really should be taken on a hot summer day on a shady terrace under the wisteria, with good friends, much laughter, and a crisp white Burgundy. Bon appetit, Y’all!
RECIPE: Alix’s Gazpacho
Alix’s recipe, which originated with her friend Beth in Spain, has a secret ingredient which is unusual: a raw egg. She says a chef once told her to add it, to cut the acidity of the tomatoes. If raw eggs are a concern, just skip it.
“Put 1/2 cup olive oil and 3 tablespoons vinegar in a bender. Add vegetables a few at a time:
- 4-5 Tomatoes in chunks ( not skinned or seeded)
- ½ of a medium cucumber, peeled
- 1 red bell pepper (ribbed and seeded)
- 1 clove of garlic
- 1 onion, peeled
- 2 tsp. salt
- pepper to taste
- 1 raw egg at the end / some basil to taste
“Blend well (you may need to do it in batches). When smooth, add the egg if using and blend again, briefly.
"Then you MUST put the mixture through a moulin, or Food Mill
Chill until nice and cold and serve. Garnish as desired with any/all of these: avocado, chives, basil, chopped red onion, lime slices, creme fraîche or sour cream. Mille mercis, Alix!
In the COMMENTS: We have lots of readers who love to photograph French windows. And really, who can resist them? Sue wonders why bugs don't come in without screens (good question--there aren't many bugs here, but the flies do wander in). But Cindy has an unusual solution! We also talked about French music last time and Chef Katherine, who has two French bakeries in Colorado, suggests setting up an Edith Piaf station on Pandora and streaming it. Sounds like a bakery we need to visit!
Favorite Reads: Be sure to catch Mel's comment from the last post. He's discovered Secret France: Charming Villages and Country Tours. There is also a French version. Published by the Automobile Association of Great Britain, it has driving tours of France and reflections on French life.
