Harrisburg, PA 56°F
I needed a distraction. Due to the hurricane, rain, and the onslaught of devastating flooding, it was a long and dreary week. At work, we hunkered down and ate bag lunches all week. Friday came, and the rain finally somewhat slowed down. Being restless, The Lunching Lawyers and I (two colleagues of mine that work in the same office building and who are also foodies) went to the Back Door Café in Carlisle. I was hopeful that I could snag one of the last seasonal servings of cold Gazapcho which has been on their regular menu since 1993.
What is Gazpacho? It’s a cold vegetable soup. You take a variety of freshly picked vegetables, ripened by summer sun and brimming with natural sweetness. You chop and puree in a blender until it’s just the right chunky texture....not creamy smooth, but just so it contains tiny rainbow chunks of veggies. You season it and then chill, so when you eat it, it cools your mouth, and offsets the late summer heat and humidity. Honestly, it’s getting a little late in the season for gazpacho. But I couldn’t help but order some in my desire to have one last fading taste of summer.
I have to give it to Back Door. Their gazpacho is my favorite. They use the freshest tomatoes. I love the texture and flavor of the soup they make. There's not alot of spice, and they use a lot of carrots, which gives the soup a natural sweetness. I ordered the Greektown wrap and a side greek salad. Perched in the greek salad was a slice of one of the tasty tomatoes I suspect was used in the gazpacho. Oh the joy of getting REAL tomato in a salad at a restaurant! Once October comes, unfortunately I suspect that simple pleasure will be a rare one.
There are other very good versions of gazpacho in town too. Last Friday I went to Helena’s in Carlisle for lunch. I had gazpacho there too. Their version was a little different, with a smoother thinner tomato base and larger bite size pieces of well cooked vegetables in the soup. My favorite thing about Helena’s version was the gutsy spicing. Oftentimes I think restaurants underspice to please the masses, but Helen’s gazpacho had a fitting, but not too bold touch of hotness. It just lingered on your tongue for a few moments after you swallowed. I admire the integrity of a well seasoned recipe and an attentive chef!
If you can’t find gazpacho in a restaurant near you, you should try using some of your late summer vegetables to make your own. Here’s a basic recipe:
Gazpacho
1-2 pounds vine-ripened tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped.
Tomato juice, some from the tomatoes, then add canned juice to make one cup
1 cup cucumber
½-1 cup bell peppers from the garden
½ cup chopped onion
1 (or more) jalepenos or other garden hot pepper from your garden
garlic cloves to taste (1 - 20!)
1/4 cup virgin olive oil
juice of one lime
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
2 tablespoons fresh basil leaves, chiffonade sliced, for garnish (optional)
Place the tomatoes and juice in a large bowl and add all the other ingredients.
Put in blender in batches and blend to desired consistency till you have blended the entire
recipe. Chill at least 2 hours. Dish and serve cold. Garnish with basil.
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