Cooking Tip
You open the cookbook and see a recipe title or a photo that tempts your taste buds. Then you start to read the recipe, realize the preparation is more difficult than you first thought, and put the book back on the shelf.
Sound Familiar? Well...
Oil or Butter? They Are Both Fat!
Newsflash: there is a world beyond olive oil.
Look, I like olive oil as much as the next person and I use it extensively in my cooking. However there are alternatives and there are very good reasons for using some of them. But let’s just stay...
Sneaking More Fruit into Your Day
We all know that we should eat more fruit and vegetables, and
generally we manage pretty well with the veggies. It's not that
hard to have several different vegetables with a meal, or a
Grilled Chicken Salad as a meal. But it can be a little...
Texas Pecan Treats
Come August, there is nowhere I'd rather NOT be than in Texas. Steamy, sultry, and hot, living in Texas in August is like trying to breathe in a tightly-covered pressure cooker.
But in November, I remember the joys of Texas. Cool breezes...
What to do Thanksgiving Day
Thanksgiving Day has finally arrived it is now time to do the
last minute preparations, final cooking and welcoming of guests.
Thanksgiving Day:
Remove your prepared stuffing from the refrigerator and stuff
your turkey. Place extra...
Spanish Food - How To Make Spicy Gazpacho Soup.
Home-made soups are so good for you - all that nourishing stock and chock-a-block full of vitamins and minerals.
But ... who on earth could face boiling bones for hours on end during the scorching Spanish summer weather, not to mention preparing the soup once the stock is made? I don´t think it would tickle anybody´s fancy to then have to tuck into a piping-hot soup!
For this reason, the Spanish came up with their wonderful, ice-cold soup - gazpacho - beautifully colorful, packed with goodness, cheap and simple to prepare, no cooking and ... most important of all, an absolute delight to drink.
Traditional gazpacho originates from romantic Andalucia - that large, exotic southerly region of Spain which is home to such extensive Arabic influence.
The chilled, raw soup was originally made by pounding bread and garlic with tomatoes, cucumber and peppers but, nowadays, your electric blender renders this effortless! Olive oil endows it with a smooth, creamy consistency and vinegar adds a refreshing tang - just what you need when life gets too hot to handle!
The spicy soup should be served in true Spanish style with small bowls of accompaniments - finely chopped peppers, cucumber, onion ... even hard-boiled eggs and croutons, if you feel up to it! Guests will then sprinkle what appeals to them on the soup.
Traditional gazpacho is tomato-based, with most Spanish families having developed their own, unique recipes. However, nowadays, you will also find gazpacho recipes that have nothing to do with tomatoes - white, almond-based gazpachos, fruit-based gazpachos, etc.
Do you suffer from insomnia? Could be that drinking gazpacho is the answer, for in Pedro Almodovar´s 1987 film "Mujeres Al Borde De Un Ataque De Nervios", various characters help
themselves to the soup and promptly fall asleep!
However, don´t fall asleep just yet as you haven´t read over the recipe!
Ingrediants for 4 servings:
4 ripe tomatoes
1 onion
½ red pepper
½ green pepper
½ cucumber
3 cloves garlic
50 g bread
3 dessertspoons vinegar
8 dessertspoons olive oil
Water
Salt/pepper
¼ chilli pepper (optional)
Garnishings:
2 hard-boiled eggs
½ finely chopped onion
½ finely chopped red pepper
½ finely chopped green pepper
½ finely chopped cucumber
Method:
Break up bread and soak in water for 30 minutes.
Skin tomatoes, remove seeds and stalks from peppers.
Peel cucumber, onion and garlic.
Chop onion, garlic, tomatoes, peppers and cucumber.
Place in electric blender.
Squeeze out excess water from bread and add to blender.
Add oil and vinegar.
Blend well.
If necessary, add sufficient water for soup-like consistency.
Pour into a bowl with ice cubes.
Fridge for a couple of hours.
Serve in bowls, with garnishings in separate dishes.
Gazpacho is best enjoyed sitting in the shade, looking out onto an azure sea, blue sky and golden sun and sands!
Linda Plummer is webmistress of the site: http://www.top-tour-of-spain.com which provides a wide range of information regarding Spain and the Spanish language.