M M M M M My Gazpacho...

In keeping with the recent Spanish flavor of another post, I would like to introduce to you to...ta da...my Gazpacho recipe.

Many people don’t know this, but Gazpacho actually means “Tomato Cowboy” in Spanish. Steve Molinero wrote about it in his song, “El Bromista”, which was on the Spanish version soundtrack of the sequel to the first Batman movie starring...Michael Keaton! ; “Alguna gente me llama el vaquero del tomate, algo me llama el gángster del amor...” Roughly translated to, “Some people call me the Tomato Cowboy, some call me the Gangster of Love...” Tomato Cowboy and Gangster of Love being euphemisms for the Joker’s (El Bromista) brutish behavior...

Chez T’s “Tomato Cowboy” Gazpacho:

• 6 medium/large tomatoes, peeled and chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 small pepper (orange, yellow, red or green--or a combo)
• 1 medium cucumber, seeded and chopped
• 1 small zucchini, small dice (this I added, you can omit)
• 2 cups V8 or tomato juice
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 slight TB lemon juice
• 1 slight TB cider or raspberry vinegar
• 1 slight TB lime juice
• hot pepper sauce (as much as you like)
• Lots of fresh herbs (recommended but mix how you like - 1 TB each parsley, basil, oregano, tarragon, thyme, chives - I wing this part every time)
• salt/pepper to taste
• dash Worcestershire sauce
• 2 TB tomato paste

Pureé (only if you want) about 2 cups of soup to add extra thickening. Mix well and refrigerate for at least 4 hours. Fresh croutons are great on this. You could also put chopped up hard cooked egg on top as well.

End.

The key to this recipe, as with every recipe, is to have fun with it. Wang Chung with it, if you must. All I’m saying is that this is great to experiment with. Truly, the only thing you CANNOT fudge are the tomatoes. Mmmmm...tomato fudge. Use the BEST you can find, even if you can’t get Washington Boro tomatoes. I will let you in on this secret: Washington Boro tomatoes are made of people. Not really. They’re Jet Stars. And Jet Stars are made of people. P-E-E-E-O-O-O-PLE!!!

gaz·pa·cho (gə-spä'chō gəz-pä'-) n. pl. gaz·pa·chos:
A spicy chilled soup usu. made with chopped tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, peppers, and herbs.
[Sp, probably of Mozarabic origin; akin to Spanish caspicias, remainders, worthless things.]
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