Homemade Gazpacho

[bonobo]

This may not be of too much interest to most TV members, but I was pretty ramped up when I made gazpacho this weekend.

Most western foods I prepare in Thailand are not as good as when I make them in the US or in Europe.  I attribute that to the raw ingredients available here.  So I was very surprised when the gazpacho I made on Friday was really quite excellent.  And I really did not expect it to be.

I did have my kalmata olives, olive oil, vinegars, and a tomato base which I brought from the US. But I had to substitute green chiles for serrano chiles, the small little fresh tomatoes instead of nice fresh garden tomatoes, Thai cucumbers instead of what I usually use, and Thai manao instead of Meyers lemons. I expected a watered-down version of my usual soup, but this one somehow was great.  The mixture really worked well together.

I hope this is not a unique result but rather par for the course.

[JohnBKKK]

This may not be of too much interest to most TV members, but I was pretty ramped up when I made gazpacho this weekend.

Most western foods I prepare in Thailand are not as good as when I make them in the US or in Europe.  I attribute that to the raw ingredients available here.  So I was very surprised when the gazpacho I made on Friday was really quite excellent.  And I really did not expect it to be.

I did have my kalmata olives, olive oil, vinegars, and a tomato base which I brought from the US. But I had to substitute green chiles for serrano chiles, the small little fresh tomatoes instead of nice fresh garden tomatoes, Thai cucumbers instead of what I usually use, and Thai manao instead of Meyers lemons. I expected a watered-down version of my usual soup, but this one somehow was great.  The mixture really worked well together.

I hope this is not a unique result but rather par for the course.

A very personalized version - Tomato's cucumbers olive oil vinegar etc are correct but Gazpacho usually does not contain olives nor chilies but green and red bell peppers and Bread to thicken the soup and fresh parsley - its usually served with the same veggies chopped up course on the side - try using some soaked stale bread next time it will add "body" to this excellent soup

[Lebowski]

Hi Bonobo.

Have you tried Khlong Toei market for your tomatos? (and other veg)

you can get very ripe plum tomatos most days.

you can add stale bread as John suggests or cube some good bread and fry in a little olive oil for fresh croutons - another option.

I think that Thailand contains a wealth of vegetables and herbs. If you know where to look you can find most things, and if not, for sure there is a Thai substitution which will work just as well, and sometimes work out even better than you expected!

Good luck!

[bonobo]

This may not be of too much interest to most TV members, but I was pretty ramped up when I made gazpacho this weekend.

Most western foods I prepare in Thailand are not as good as when I make them in the US or in Europe.  I attribute that to the raw ingredients available here.  So I was very surprised when the gazpacho I made on Friday was really quite excellent.  And I really did not expect it to be.

I did have my kalmata olives, olive oil, vinegars, and a tomato base which I brought from the US. But I had to substitute green chiles for serrano chiles, the small little fresh tomatoes instead of nice fresh garden tomatoes, Thai cucumbers instead of what I usually use, and Thai manao instead of Meyers lemons. I expected a watered-down version of my usual soup, but this one somehow was great.  The mixture really worked well together.

I hope this is not a unique result but rather par for the course.

A very personalized version - Tomato's cucumbers olive oil vinegar etc are correct but Gazpacho usually does not contain olives nor chilies but green and red bell peppers and Bread to thicken the soup and fresh parsley - its usually served with the same veggies chopped up course on the side - try using some soaked stale bread next time it will add "body" to this excellent soup

Yes, I did not write down everything I put in this.  I do use green and red bell peppers.  I add the kalmata olives to give it a little more of the olive oil kick. I have done that for a long time, and the last time I was in Spain, I found a little place in Benidorm which does the same thing.  

Ditto the serranos. I liquify one serrano as well as three or four cloves of garlic in olive oil before I mix up the rest. And I realize that some people shudder when I add a small bit of lemon to the mix. And many people add chicken stock, but I don't.

My recipe:

serrano chile and garlic liquified in olive oil

then, coarsely mix in:

fresh tomatoes

cucumber

red and green bell pepper

scallion 

kalmata olives

olive oil (Greek)

balsamic vinegar

red wine vinegar

splash of red wine

sea salt

fresh ground pepper

slice of lemon

tomato juice

This is truly one of my favorite things to eat. I like having this with a small steak (sauteed Spanish-style) and a fresh batard or baguette from a good bakery.

[bonobo]

Hi Bonobo.

Have you tried Khlong Toei market for your tomatos? (and other veg)

you can get very ripe plum tomatos most days.

you can add stale bread as John suggests or cube some good bread and fry in a little olive oil for fresh croutons - another option.

I think that Thailand contains a wealth of vegetables and herbs. If you know where to look you can find most things, and if not, for sure there is a Thai substitution which will work just as well, and sometimes work out even better than you expected!

Good luck!

Thanks for the advice!  I drive past the Klong Toei market a couple times a week, but I have never stopped. I guess I will now.

And yes, I tend to lament not being able to get my familiar veggies and herbs, but after this, I now intend to start experimenting to see what dishes I can create using what is here.  That is fusion cuisine, after all.

[bonobo]

Hi Bonobo.

Have you tried Khlong Toei market for your tomatos? (and other veg)

you can get very ripe plum tomatos most days.

you can add stale bread as John suggests or cube some good bread and fry in a little olive oil for fresh croutons - another option.

I think that Thailand contains a wealth of vegetables and herbs. If you know where to look you can find most things, and if not, for sure there is a Thai substitution which will work just as well, and sometimes work out even better than you expected!

Good luck!

Thanks for the tip about Klong Toei.  I stopped there last night and stocked up.  It isi going to be a good weekend!

[maxjay]

A good, quick and easy recipe, using left over salad, I have enjoyed:

Prepare a large tossed salad (lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, etc.) Put a decent dressing on it (any will do, except for the sweet Thai stuff). Take what salad you don't eat, put into a blender, add a equal amount of tomato juice, and any other ingredients you may want (I like to add little garlic and chili pepper powder). Blend. Serve the next day.

May not be authentic, but it's good.

Edited October 17, 2008 by maxjay

[bonobo]

OK, I am using the veggies from the Klong Toei market, and they are quite good.

Now my problem is that I have run out of my tomato base. I always use Campbell's tomato juice as my base or in season, pick fresh juicy tomatoes and squeeze them (I like roma tomatoes as solids in the soup, but they don't make good juice.)

Now that I am out of Campbell's, I tried Tipco Tuesday night. Acceptable, but not fantastic. Any recommendations on a good tomato juice? Or something else to try instead?

[JohnBKKK]

OK, I am using the veggies from the Klong Toei market, and they are quite good.

Now my problem is that I have run out of my tomato base. I always use Campbell's tomato juice as my base or in season, pick fresh juicy tomatoes and squeeze them (I like roma tomatoes as solids in the soup, but they don't make good juice.)

Now that I am out of Campbell's, I tried Tipco Tuesday night. Acceptable, but not fantastic. Any recommendations on a good tomato juice? Or something else to try instead?

That depends how much trouble you are prpared to go through to get the absolute best result - here we go

Step one -

get 4 KG of Tomatoes - look for full color and smell them - they should be ripe and smell of tomatoesl

clean them very well - cut them in half and remove the watery contents with the pips

place the rest into a food processor and process until you have a puree

place into a cheese-cloth and hang this inside your refridgerator over a large enough bowl over night

The juice you'll find in your bowl in the morning is pure tomato essence and the flavor is fantastic - add this to your processed veggies when making Gazpacho or alternatively add some Vodka and have the best bloody Mary ever

Edited October 23, 2008 by JohnBKKK

[bonobo]

OK, I am using the veggies from the Klong Toei market, and they are quite good.

Now my problem is that I have run out of my tomato base. I always use Campbell's tomato juice as my base or in season, pick fresh juicy tomatoes and squeeze them (I like roma tomatoes as solids in the soup, but they don't make good juice.)

Now that I am out of Campbell's, I tried Tipco Tuesday night. Acceptable, but not fantastic. Any recommendations on a good tomato juice? Or something else to try instead?

That depends how much trouble you are prpared to go through to get the absolute best result - here we go

Step one -

get 4 KG of Tomatoes - look for full color and smell them - they should be ripe and smell of tomatoesl

clean them very well - cut them in half and remove the watery contents with the pips

place the rest into a food processor and process until you have a puree

place into a cheese-cloth and hang this inside your refridgerator over a large enough bowl over night

The juice you'll find in your bowl in the morning is pure tomato essence and the flavor is fantastic - add this to your processed veggies when making Gazpacho or alternatively add some Vodka and have the best bloody Mary ever

Thanks! I am going to try this next week.