Amid summer's record heat, Jaleo's gazpacho is soup-er cool

Yahoo

6 days ago

Hot enough for ya?
At press time, Orlando itself hadn't hit any new highs, but both Sanford and Leesburg have seen record-breaking days during this sweltering summer season, and Jaleo head chef Kristoffer Anderson wouldn't be surprised if they have, too.
Because gazpacho production in their formidable Disney Springs kitchen has gone way up.
'It's just incredibly refreshing,' says Anderson, who has seen different versions over his 10 years with the company. 'It hits all these flavor profiles, from acidic to a little bit sweet with the nice texture of a smoothie.'
In fact, although Jaleo serves its famous Gazpacho estilo Algeciras ($10), the classic chilled Spanish soup, in a bowl, 'it is often kept in a pitcher for people to simply pour and drink.'
That's precisely how customers at Pepe by José Andrés, a Disney Springs grab-and-go featuring delectables from the humanitarian chef's D.C. food truck, enjoy it. And this summer, says Anderson, the portable bottles, which go for $5 apiece, have been flying out of the coolers. It's the exact same soup they're serving at Jaleo, made fresh daily.
But it's not actually Andrés' recipe, Anderson tells me.
'It's his wife's.'
Apparently, back when Andrés and Patricia, who also goes by Tichi, started dating, whose gazpacho was better was a common, playful argument between them.
Tichi, who hails from the Andalucia region of southern Spain, where gazpacho, too, was born, won out.
'It used to say her name on the menu,' says Anderson, who travels, along with other chefs from the Andrés portfolio, to the couple's home in Zahara de los Atunes, Spain, every year for some time that's part team-building, part research and development.
'At Jaleo, we make the exact same recipe that we make at José's house,' he says. 'Every day, the first thing we're doing is making gazpacho, for his kids, for his family, even if he doesn't ask for it. There's always a pitcher of gazpacho in the refrigerator.'
Traditionally, crusty, rustic bread, toasted with olive oil, finishes the soup. At Jaleo, they use picos, a delicate, crouton-like breadstick imported from Spain. Gluten-free diners need not worry. Just say the word and they'll leave them out.
'In the past five or six years, we've seen a lot more people with gluten-related issues coming in,' says Anderson, whose team is always happy to oblige. ' [The soup] doesn't taste much different without it. It's more of a texture thing.'
You can do the same in the following recipe for a gluten-free version.
The tomatoes are the dish's true star, anyway. And you'll want to grab the ripest ones you can find, says Anderson.
'If you have tomatoes that are getting a little bit soft, a little more ripe, just a little past where you might want to use them in a salad, those are the tomatoes you're going to want to use,' he says. 'So, if you're going to the store to make your gazpacho the same day, look for the most red, most ripe you can find.'
It's the simplicity of the dish, he says, that makes it so special.
'It sounds cliché, but I do think it shocks some people, trying to sell them on a cold soup, but then they try it and see how refreshing it is, how perfect for the heat.'
From a chef's standpoint, he says, it's almost humbling.
'You're taking these beautiful, fresh ingredients, these good vegetables, and barely doing anything. You're just blending them and turning them into this amazing dish.'
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Recipe courtesy José Andrés as published in Food & Wine (foodandwine.com/recipes/aspen-2005-patricias-gazpacho-gazpacho-al-estilo-de-patricia)
Ingredients
For gazpacho:
2 pounds ripe plum tomatoes (about 10), cut into chunks 1 cucumber (8 ounces), peeled and cut into chunks 3 ounces green pepper (1/2 medium), in large pieces 1 garlic clove 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar Spanish extra-virgin olive oil Kosher salt
For garnish:
1 tablespoon Spanish extra-virgin olive oil 1 slice rustic white bread 6 plum tomatoes, with the seeds, prepared as 'fillets' 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
Directions 1. In a blender, combine the tomatoes, cucumber, green pepper, garlic, and sherry vinegar and blend until the mixture becomes a thick liquid. Taste for acidity; this will vary with the sweetness of the tomatoes. If it's not balanced enough, add a little more vinegar. Add the olive oil, season with salt, and blend again. Strain the gazpacho into a pitcher and refrigerate for at least half an hour.
2. In a small pan, heat the olive oil over moderately high heat and fry the bread until golden, about 2 minutes. Break into small pieces to form croutons and set aside.
3. To serve, pour gazpacho into each of 4 bowls. Place 4 croutons, 2 'fillets' of tomatoes with seeds, 4 cherry tomato halves, 3 cucumber cubes, and 3 onion segments into each bowl. Add a few drops of olive oil to each onion segment and drizzle a little more around each bowl. Add a few drops of vinegar to each cucumber cube and drizzle a little more around each bowl. Sprinkle sea salt on the tomatoes and sprinkle the chives over the soup. Serve when the gazpacho is refreshingly chilled.
*'You can skip the onions part,' says Jaleo head chef Kristoffer Anderson.
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