Deconstructed Gazpacho Recipes

JOSé ANDRéS FAVORITE GAZPACHO RECIPE IS A SUMMERTIME CLASSIC WE'LL BE MAKING ALL SEASON

Steps:

• Peel, seed and chop 1 cucumber. Place cucumber, bell pepper, plum tomatoes, garlic, vinegar, sherry, ¾ cup olive oil and salt in a blender or food processor (you may need to do this in batches. Puree until well blended into a thick orange liquid. If needed, add ½ to 1 cup water to adjust to your preferred consistency and pulse to combine. Pour gazpacho through a medium strainer and refrigerate at least 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 400°F. Cut bread into 1-inch cubes. Toss with 2 Tbsp olive oil. Spread on a baking sheet; bake on middle rack 7 minutes or until golden brown. Set aside to cool. Dice remaining ½ cucumber. To serve, remove gazpacho from refrigerator and stir. Place a few croutons, cherry tomato halves and diced cucumbers in each of 6-8 bowls. Top evenly with gazpacho. Drizzle with remaining 2 Tbsp olive oil and sprinkle with salt.

DECONSTRUCTED ARRABBIATA

Steps:

• For the tomato sauce: Put the tomatoes and their juice in the bowl of a food processor. Grate 3 to 4 tablespoons of the onion directly into the food processor so the juice falls into the tomatoes. Add the sugar, basil, garlic and a liberal drizzle of EVOO (about 1 tablespoon), and season with sea salt and pepper. Whizz the mixture up until it's pureed, then transfer it to a small pot. Bring to a simmer over medium-low heat and cook 20 to 30 minutes. (If you're not serving the sauce immediately, cool and then refrigerate it. Any leftovers are delicious on spaghetti with butter and cheese for a more simple supper another night. It also freezes well if you want to make a double or triple batch.) Rinse out the food processor and return the bowl to the base. For the chile paste: Finely chop the chiles (remove the seeds if you want to curb their heat a little). Sprinkle some sea salt over the chiles on the cutting board, then mash in the garlic to form a paste. Mix with the harissa in a small container. Cover and store in the refrigerator. For the pesto: Lightly toast the pine nuts in a small skillet. Let cool completely. Combine the pine nuts, basil, parsley, EVOO, cheese and garlic in the food processor. Season with salt, pepper and a few grates of nutmeg. Pulse until the mixture is well blended, then transfer to a small container. Cover and store in the refrigerator. (The pesto freezes well, so double or triple the batch if you like.) To serve, bring the sauces to room temperature. Reserve one-third of the chile for other uses. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil, then cook the spaghetti until al dente. Reserve 1 cup cooking liquid, then drain the pasta. Meanwhile, reheat the tomato sauce in a small pot over medium-low heat. Put the pasta in a serving bowl, douse with the reserved cooking water and stir in all of the tomato sauce and half of the pesto. Drizzle with EVOO and add 1 tablespoon of the chile sauce at a time, adjusting it to your preferred level of heat. Toss vigorously to combine. Serve with lots of cheese and the remaining chile paste and pesto sauce for stirring in to each person's taste. Finish with another drizzle of EVOO.

SAN MARZANO GAZPACHO

Steps:

• Char the bell pepper over an open flame or under the broiler. Place in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. When cool, peel, seed, roughly chop, and add to the food processor. Add the chile peppers, cucumber, bread, onion, garlic, celery, parsley, basil, tomatoes, a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Process until fairly smooth. Place in small pitcher and chill along with small shot glasses for serving.

GAZPACHO

Steps:

• In a blender puree chopped tomatoes, bell peppers, onion, and cucumber, garlic paste, vinegar, oil, and salt and pepper, to taste. Chill soup well, preferably overnight.
• Thin soup with ice water or tomato juice and serve topped with croutons and finely diced vegetables. Correct seasoning.

DECONSTRUCTED GAZPACHO & BLACK EYED BEAN SALAD

Steps:

• Soak, then cook the Black Eyed Beans according to packet instructions. Drain, rinse & set aside to cool.
• Mix the onion, cucumber, tomatoes & mint in a serving dish.
• Place the dressing ingredients into a bowl and mix well.
• Mix dressing into the salad.
• Cover with cling film and cool in the fridge for an hour.
• Keeps well for 2-3 days.