Roasted Vegetable Gazpacho plus a “Tomatini” Bonus

 

Talk about killing two birds with one stone. You can make a great Tomatini with gazpacho strainings .

Few soups are as inviting on a hot summer day as a cold gazpacho. My idea of improving upon an already refreshing combination of local fresh produce is to first roast the tomatoes, peppers, onions and garlic to lend that charred, slightly smoky flavor. The added attraction here is the creation of a tomato martini by straining the steeped vegetables through a fine sieve, and mixing the liquid with vodka in a cocktail shaker to serve as a “tomatini”.

So as not to duplicate flavors in the same meal, I suggest serving the martinis one day and allowing the flavors of the gazpacho to meld in the refrigerator and serving the soup the following day.

Ingredients
For gazpacho:

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil for brushing cookie sheet and vegetables

4 large ripe beefsteak tomatoes cut in half horizontally*

1 large sweet onion cut into thick slices*

2 sweet red peppers cut in half lengthwise*

2 garlic cloves peeled

1 medium cucumber, seeds removed and cut into chunks*

1 T balsamic vinegar

1 t Worcestershire sauce

1 T fresh lemon juice

2 t chili powder

1 T salt

½ t freshly ground black pepper

2 cups tomato juice

½ cup extra virgin olive oil

For croutons:

2 oz day-old French bread, crusts removed and cut into ½ inch cubes

1T butter

1 T olive oil

For garnishes:

*2 T each reserved vegetables cut into a small dice before processing

1 small jalapeno pepper, finely diced

1 t each chopped basil, mint, thyme and parsley

For tomatini:

4 oz. strained gazpacho

8 oz vodka

2 t fresh lemon juice

4 drops Tabasco sauce

Ice

12 tiny grape tomatoes

Procedure

On a large cookie sheet lined with aluminum foil and lightly brushed with olive oil, place the tomato halves, (cut sides up) onions, sweet pepper halves (cut sides down) and garlic. Brush vegetables with olive oil and roast on the middle shelf of a 400-degree oven checking after 15 minutes from time to time. Take out the garlic when soft, the tomatoes and onions when golden and the pepper halves when blackened. Let cool. Peel the skin off the tomatoes, squeeze out the seeds and place in the container of a large food processor. Peel the skin off the peppers, take out the seeds and place in the container. Add onions and garlic. Pulse until lightly mixed. Add cucumbers, balsamic vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, chili powder, salt, and pepper. Pulse until coarsely pureed but not smooth. Add tomato juice and pulse again. Pour into a glass or plastic container and chill until icy cold.

Sauté croutons in 1 T butter and 1 T olive oil until crisp and golden brown. Set aside in a small bowl.

Combine raw tomato, cucumber, sweet pepper, jalapeno, onion, basil, mint, thyme, and parsley in a small bowl and set aside.

For tomatinis: Strain 4 oz. of liquid from the gazpacho. Place in a cocktail shaker with 8 oz. vodka, a squeeze of fresh lemon juice and 4 drops of Tabasco sauce. Add 2 scoops of ice and stir vigorously. Strain into four 4-oz martini glasses. Garnish each with tiny grape tomatoes on a skewer.

After liquid for tomatinis is strained out, stir ½ cup extra virgin olive oil into gazpacho. Check texture. If too thick, thin with a little tomato juice. Ladle soup into shallow soup plates and serve with the croutons and chopped vegetables in separate bowls. Serves four generously.

Photographer Bill Brady http://bit.ly/9wFYxm
Food Stylist Bill Brady http://bit.ly/9wFYxm
Recipe Provided by Phyllis Kirigin, aka sweetpaprika http://sweetpaprika.wordpress.com http://sweetpaprika.wordpress.com