Gazpacho al Estilo de Patricia
Lately, in my heat-addled mind, the most satisfying meals can be summed up in two words – cold and simple. Though gazpacho meets both criteria, I’d yet to make it this summer. Looking for a new variation, I tried this popular recipe for gazpacho al estilo de Patricia by Spanish chef José Andrés. Having experimented with pale ajo blanco, deep pink gazpacho with strawberry and fennel, and classic red with tropezones, it was time to go green.
With the clock ticking on heirloom tomatoes, I went looking for green zebras in a kind of panic (false alarm – there are plenty left). For the garnish (and more color), I found earthy, black prince tomatoes leaning towards purple. The rest of the ingredients – cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, pearl onions, garlic and chives – were also at hand, so it was final chance take full advantage of the farmer’s market.
After setting it all out at home, I realized this gazpacho would be easier than most. There were no almonds to crush or day old bread to process. Most of the work went into prepping the ingredients then adding them to the blender in turn. It wasn’t until I got to the end that I noticed just how precise the directions for the garnishes were – oil for the onions, vinegar for the cucumbers, and an exact count for the croutons (from quickly fried bread). I wasn’t so careful. Once I had the bowls in front of me, I couldn’t stop playing with the toppings, seeing how long they could keep their balance on the chilled gazpacho – a perfect way to see out a fast fleeting summer.
Gazpacho al Estilo de Patricia/Patricia’s Gazpacho
Barely adapted from Tapas: A Taste of Spain in America by José Andrés with Richard Wolffe.
For the gazpacho:
2 pounds ripe green, yellow or plum tomatoes (about 10), ends trimmed and cut into chunks
8 ounces cucumber (1 cucumber), peeled and cut into chunks
3 ounces green bell pepper, seeded and cut in large pieces
1 garlic clove, peeled
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar plus more to taste
1/2 cup Spanish extra-virgin olive oil
Sea Salt
For the garnishes:
1 tablespoon Spanish extra-virgin olive oil
1 slice rustic white bread
6 plum tomatoes
8 cherry tomatoes, halved
1 cucumber, peeled and cut into cubes
4 pearl onions, pulled apart into segments
2 tablespoons Spanish extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
Sea salt
4 chives, cut into 1-inch pieces
In a blender, combine the chopped tomatoes, cucumbers, green peppers, garlic, and sherry vinegar. Blend until it forms a thick liquid. Taste for acidity and add more vinegar for balance. Add the olive oil and salt to taste and blend again. Strain the gazpacho into a pitcher and refrigerate until well chilled, at least 30 minutes.
While the gazpacho chills, prepare the garnishes. In a small pan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the slice of bread fry until golden on both sides. Remove from heat and cut into cubes.
Slice the end of each plum tomato. Using a small serrated knife, peel the tomatoes top to bottom with a small sawing motion. Discard the skins, core and seeds. Dice the tomatoes and set aside.
To serve, pour the gazpacho into bowls. Divide the croutons, diced tomatoes, cucumbers, and onion segments between the bowls. Drizzle a few drops of olive oil on the onions and add a few drops of vinegar to the cucumbers. Sprinkle the tomatoes with sea salt and garnish each bowl with chives. Serve when the gazpacho chilled.
Makes 4 servings.
hungry sofia 
Here´s another variation I learned from a Peruvian lady working as a cook/caretaker for a Cuban lady in the south of Spain. Instead of sherry vinegar use apple cider vinegar. I know it´s sacrilegious, but it was a revelation to me. It brightens up everything. That lady was a master cook. I wish I would have learned a thing or two more from her.
This is the first time I comment so I want to express how much I enjoy you blog. Like you, I´m a Cuban- American from Miami that came to New York for college!
Thank you for the suggestion. I’m going to make another batch this weekend so I’ll have to try it!
Rico Rico! me encanta 😀
Chilena en UK.
Thank you. I’ll try it this week-end.
I usually make the one I learned from the Spanish movie: Women on the edge of a nervous brake down. Funny film (better if you understand Spanish.)
Hi Sofia-
I too use Almodovar’s movie recipe. In fact after rewinding and fastforwarding endlessly I finally managed to jot down the 7/8 ingredients. I did this a long time ago when the movie first came out on VHS but have since made a few revisions. The movie recipe does not specify tomato variety so I use very ripe seeded and skinned plum tomatoes (for a standard-size household kitchen blender-Gazpacho amount I throw in about 10 to 15). I learned garlic overuse from Mr. Bam, Emeril Lagasse, so I always throw in a large amount of garlic but am careful because uncooked it is always bitter. So for my recipe adaptation probably 6 cloves I have used. The onion of choice for me is white because it is a mild onion and satisfying when eaten raw in a recipe. Many American cookbook recipes call for a hothouse/English cucumber because it is seedless but I find that a regular cucumber if deseeded does well (no taste difference , and if you look closely even the hothouse has a some seeds, not living up to its deseeded reputation). I too add instead of regular vinegar Italian balsamic because it is milder on the tastebuds. I add LOTS of great quality olive oil-first press which is usually the greenest. In the 90s I used to go to Zabar’s deli on Broadway and buy their house pressed olive oil (very resonably priced ($6. or $7. and fabulously tasting!). In fact one of the best oils I have had, better than some bottled oils priced at $25.00 and higher. For the pepper I use 1/2 a green only, deseeded. I find the taste of green peppers too overbearing when raw. If used in a piperade I could easily throw in 5 large ones but raw no. Finally my rendition adds some flat leaf parsley (a handful). These are the recipe ingredients in the movie.
I add one final ingredient aside from dashes of Kosher salt (always for all my recipes-it has a cleaner, less salty taste than regular table salt) and black/white pepper (your choice-white is milder). That ingredient is Keiser roll and this unusually so is what sets my Gazpacho apart from others and receives great reviews. I tear them whole into the blender, like 3 per blender mix. Finally, everything when added gets blended and then served. To keep cool I place crushed ice in a bowl and then place a smaller bowl inside that bowl with the Gazpacho in it served already. If you eat your soup outside it keeps chilledthis way. Enjoy.
I’m excited to try this recipe. The ingredients sort of threw me for a loop in finding the perfect wine pairing, but I bet a Spanish sherry or rose would work, as would a Gruner Veltliner!