You Say Tomato; We Say Gazpacho!

Summer is tomato season in the nutmeg state. This delightfully juicy, red (and sometimes green and yellow) fruit is begging for your attention. It’s wonderful eaten alone, in salads, sandwiches and, best of all, in gazpacho! We love to dine out during the summertime, but we insist on watching our girlish figures. Gazpacho is really the perfect, filling, bathing-suit-friendly dish.

We’ve had so many wonderful variations this summer and we wanted to share a few with you.

Terrain

561 Post Road East

Westport, CT 06880

This little oasis of a restaurant nestled in the back of a most amazing garden wonderland offers a gazpacho that’s full of flavor and zest. This chilled variety might well be the version that comes to mind when one thinks of this traditional Andalucían dish. Refreshing and crisp, this a little bit chunky and not too spicy version tastes as though it came right out of the garden.

The Chelsea

12 Unquowa Place

Fairfield, CT 06824

As typical of this restaurant, the Chelsea manages to put it own unique twist on this classic dish. The roasted tomatoes aren’t the only twist, but the so is generous serving of mozzarella that sits on top a healthy sized crouton — a perfect vehicle to help you sop up every last drop! This may be the most creative gazpacho we’ve had.

Acqua

43 Main Street

Westport, CT 06880

Redder, richer and much more like a chilled tomato soup, this one boasts 50 year old sherry vinegar and lump crab meat. We thoroughly enjoyed this refreshing and filling adaptation.

Barcelona

(Locations in Greenwich, Stamford, Norwalk, Fairfield)

This orange colored, smooth, smoky, light yet almost decadently rich version left us wanting more. We couldn’t quite pinpoint all the magical flavors and when we asked if we could have the recipe, (which is not in their cookbook) we were told that recipe was top secret. No worries, we are more than happy to keep coming back for more! This may very well be our favorite of all we’ve tried so far.

We’d love to hear back from you. Have you had gazpacho out lately? Please share with us so that we can give it a try!

Gazpacho is so easy to make and can be made in minutes. All you need are fresh vegetables and a food processor or blender. Try it for yourself!

Gazpacho

  • 2 Seedless cucumbers, peeled, cut into large chunks
  • 1 red bell pepper, cut into large chunks
  • 1 orange or yellow pepper, cut into chunks
  • 3 medium to large fresh tomatoes
  • 3 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 1 – 1 ½ cup of V-8 juice (Be daring and use Mr. T’s or Stirring’s Bloody Mary Mix for an extra kick!)
  • ¼ cup of red wine vinegar
  • 1/8 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Place your ingredients, chopped, into the blender or food processor and pulse to the desired consistency. Taste as you go to adjust seasonings and chill for at least an hour before serving — but this is even better then next day… and the day after that and the day after that — if there’s any left! Gazpacho is great on its own for lunch or dinner with good crusty bread and perhaps a wedge of Manchego.

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