A Trio of Gazpachos

This year I was tasked with putting some serious effort into the Union Wine Co. FIELD NOTES   This is a part of their site that tells employee stories, showcases recipes and cocktails as well as a few cool How To’s…

This is one of those posts.  Check them all out in the above link.

Garden Bounty Pt. 1

A Trio of Gazpachos

Now that summer is in full swing,  gardeners all over the country are seeing their hard work and dedication beginning to finally bear fruit…. and vegetables and herbs. And once the bounty begins,    it can really produce a lot of produce very quickly… if ya know what i mean.    Even if you aren’t a gardener,   your local farmers markets are also beginning to explode with beautiful, colorful fruit and veggies.  

So here are Union,  we decided to run a series of posts about fun, easy recipes to put all that great freshly grown produce to use.  For us,  Gazpacho is one of the simplest but most pure ways to really celebrate the freshness of the season.  There is absolutely no cooking required.   Just a little prepping and then a whole lot of blending.

Most people are familiar with the classic Andalusian tomato gazpacho,   but there are several other recipes that are just as delicious.  With any gazpacho,  there is a lot of room for interpretation,  so we welcome you to follow our recipes,  but we urge you to try your own tweaks or additions.   Also,   there is a wide variation on the texture of gazpacho.   We personally like a chunky gazpacho,  as you will see in the following photos,  but if you prefer a smoother texture,  it's as simple as just blending longer.

So without further ado,  we present a trio of gazpachos:  Tomato,  Cucumber and Watermelon.

Tomato Gazpacho

*A Note on the following recipes:   All three recipes make roughly 1 quart of gazpacho each, which will feed 2 to 4 people.

Recipe:

4-5 medium heirloom tomatoes

1/2 large sweet onion

2 cloves of garlic

1/2 large cucumber

3 roasted red piquillo peppers

1 Tbs sherry vinegar

1/4 C olive oil

a small piece of baguette (optional)

salt & pepper to taste

Technique:

Peel half the cucumber and remove the seeds.    Chop all vegetables into manageable pieces and place in a baking dish.  Pour the olive oil and sherry vinegar over the veggies.  Season with salt and pepper,  mix well and let sit for 10 minutes.    If you have a large blender, such as a ‘Vitamix’,  you can put everything in together.  If you are working with a smaller blender,  blend in batches,  trying to get equal amounts of all ingredients in each batch.   Blend to desired consistency and refrigerate.  When ready to serve,  garnish with a drizzle of olive oil and some fresh herbs, such as cilantro or basil.  Enjoy with a can of Underwood Pinot Noir.

*******************

Cucumber Gazpacho

Recipe:

2 large cucumbers 

1/2 large yellow bell pepper

1/2 large sweet onion

2 cloves of garlic

2/3 C plain whole milk yogurt

1 small bunch of mint

juice of 1/2 a lime

salt & pepper to taste

Technique:

Peel half of each cucumber.   (This will allow for a little texture with the skin,  but not too much.)  Cut the cucumbers down the middle and remove all seeds.  Chop all veggies into manageable pieces.   As stated above,  if you have a large blender, such as a ‘Vitamix’,  you can put everything in together.  If you are working with a smaller blender,  blend in batches,  trying to get equal amounts of all ingredients in each batch.     It is okay to  add the lime juice and yogurt at the same time as the veggies.   Season with salt and pepper and blend to your desired texture.  Keep refrigerated.  When ready to serve,  garnish with some finely diced cucumber and a mint sprig.  Enjoy with an ice cold can of Underwood Pinot Gris.

********************

Watermelon Gazpacho

Recipe:

1/2 large seedless watermelon (roughly 3 Cups)

1/2 large cucumber

1/2 large red heirloom tomato

1/2 red bell pepper

juice of 1/2 a lime

2 tsp olive oil

1 tsp red wine vinegar

Technique:

Peel watermelon and chop into cubes. Peel and seed cucumber.  Chop up the tomato and pepper.   As stated above,  As stated above,  if you have a large blender, such as a ‘Vitamix’,  you can put everything in together.  If you are working with a smaller blender,  blend in batches,  trying to get equal amounts of all ingredients in each batch.  Blend to desired texture and then refrigerate.  When ready to serve,   garnish with a few pieces of watermelon and some chopped fresh mint and enjoy with an ice cold 

Underwood Rosé.

So as you can see,   there are many different styles of gazpacho to enjoy.   All can be made several days in advance.   And again,  feel free to tweak the ingredients,  texture and garnishes to fit your personal taste.

Bon Appétit!

Photography, Recipe and Text by David L. Reamer.  (@dlreamer)