Executive Chef Louis Rossi, Castle Hill Inn, Newport
The key to making excellent gazpacho, as with most simple dishes, is to start with high-quality ingredients, harvested at their season’s peak. We’re fortunate to be able to serve the most incredible heirloom tomatoes and summer squash, supplied to us by Will Lord, owner of Rose Hill Farm in South Kingstown. This preparation is very refreshing, and something that we serve frequently on The Lawn during the summer months. We chose to keep this version vegetarian, garnishing with only black olives, but you could also finish it with poached shrimp, avocado or cured ham.
Ingredients
- 1½ pounds (3 large) very ripe golden tomatoes
- 1 cup cubed ciabatta or other hearty white bread, lightly toasted
- 1 pound yellow summer squash
- 2 yellow bell peppers, cored, seeded and diced
- ½ Fresno chili pepper, seeded and diced (use gloves)
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (plus more for garnish)
- Kosher or sea salt
- 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
- 1 sprig fresh mint
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped black olives (for garnish)
Preparation
Plunge tomatoes into a pot of boiling water for 30 seconds and remove. Let cool, peel skins and discard. Cut tomatoes in quarters and squeeze out seeds and any excess liquid into a separate bowl, add the bread cubes and set bowl aside. Dice the tomatoes.
Slice the yellow squash lengthwise and trim the ends. With a metal spoon, scoop out the seeds and center cores so you are left with the yellow skin and ⅛-inch-thick flesh, then roughly chop.
In the bowl of a food processor or blender, purée the tomatoes, yellow squash skins, peppers and Fresno chili with the garlic and olive oil. Add bread and blend until smooth, then add the salt and vinegar to taste, thinning the consistency if necessary with water. Pass the soup through a fine-mesh strainer, pressing down on the solids to get as much of the soup through as possible. (For a more chunky, spicy soup, skip this step.)
Steep the mint in the soup while it sits for 1 hour, and then cover and refrigerate until well chilled. To serve, divide the soup among 4 bowls and garnish with the black olives, a mint leaf and drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil. Enjoy!
About this recipe
WINE PAIRING: 2017 Domaine de Marquiliani Rosé Gazpacho is not an easy pairing because of the high acid nature of the tomatoes but this particular recipe uses olives and bread to give the soup some fat and richness, which opens up your options. This Corsican rosé is elegant and ethereal, smooth, soft, with a touch of acidity. It mirrors the complexity of this innovative take on a classic summer dish.
—Maria Chiancola, Newport Wine Cellar & Gourmet, Newport
