·Soak half of a “ficelle” from Bread Line (available at the 14&U Farmers Market) in water and squeeze dry. ·Place the bread and 2 pounds of ripe, flavorful tomatoes, 3-4 frying peppers (for example, yellow Hungarian peppers), 1 cucumber, 6 cloves of garlic and a reddish-purple torpedo onion in a food processor. ·Add 1 cup olive oil, salt and 5 tablespoons white wine vinegar and two tablespoons sherry vinegar. ·Whirl until mixture is silky smooth. ·Pour soup through a strainer and press with the back of a wooden spoon to extract all the liquid you can from the solids you are casting away. ·Stir in 2 cups of cold water and a bit more vinegar and salt. ·Taste and add more if it needs it. ·Chill thoroughly in the fridge. ·Garnish with finely chopped tomato, pepper and/or cucumber. Or not. Some people like to add fried bread cubes. Others like a bit of cumin. And there are those who llike diced hard-boiled eggs or finely chopped onion on top as well – but use those long red salad onions if you do.
*Robin Shuster, director of the 14&U Farmers Market in Washington, DC, notes this recipe is her adaptation of Penelope Casa’s gazpacho recipe in Casa's cookbook Delicioso! The Regional Cooking of Spain (Knopf, 1996) p. 340.
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