Sunday | July 23, 2006 | 7:57 AM
Málaga Gazpacho

The gazpacho I made this afternoon from a 1968 recipe reprinted in today’s New York Times Sunday Magazine tasted bright and refreshing, but the color was off. It may have been the anemic plum tomatoes I used, but the hue ended up a sort of brownish-Creamsicle. I wonder whether food dye would have make it look more palatable, as one guy recently found making Pepto-Bismol ice cream. Or maybe I should have tracked down some redder tomatoes of the hothouse variety.

Málaga Gazpacho

  • 3 cups cored, coarsely chopped fresh tomato
  • 1 1/2 cups peeled, coarsely chopped cucumber
  • 1 green pepper, cored, seeded and coarsely chopped
  • 1 clove garlic, sliced
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 5 tablespoons olive or corn oil
  • 1/4 cup red- or white-wine vinegar
  • salt to taste
  • 2 slices untrimmed fresh white bread, cubed
  1. Blend all ingredients together in a blender at high speed.
  2. Pour the mixture through a large sieve placed inside a mixing bowl. Press and stir with a wooden spoon to extract as much liquid as possible. Discard the solids. Taste soup for seasoning and add more salt and vinegar if desired. Chill thoroughly before serving.