When we think of Gazpacho, we normally associate it with tomatoes. But I’ve just learned that the base of gazpacho isn’t that of tomatoes, bread and oil, but of vinegar, oil and day-old bread. From these 3 ingredients, we can add the vegetables, leaf vegetables or fruits of our choice and, served cold, we’ll obtain the flavour we’re looking for. These days we’re starting to see Gazpachos in restaurants made with strawberries, watermelon, artichokes…….
The following recipe is made with mushrooms, wild mushrooms or a mixture of both. You can serve it with ‘serrano ham salt‘ which is basically serrano ham (fat removed) cut into strips, covered on a plate and microwaved for 3-4mins on maximum power. Cool, then crush with a pestle and mortar (mortero). An alternative would be crispy fried bacon, crushed.
The original recipe called for 600g of mushrooms, but as I used the frozen mushrooms which came in a packet of 450g, I’ve put the equivalent proportions for the remaining ingredients in brackets.
Ingredients for 4-5 servings (600g mushrooms)
600g (450g) mushrooms or wild mushrooms or a mixture of both (champiñones o setas, frescos o congelados)
750ml (563ml) chicken stock (caldo de pollo, Gallina Blanca, en brik)
50g (38g) stale bread (pan duro)
50ml (38ml) white wine vinegar (never use balsamic vinegar)
200ml (150ml) olive oil
Salt
Pepper
Cumin (comino en polvo)
Water
Method
Start off by placing the bread, broken into pieces, in a bowl and soaking it in the vinegar. Stir-fry the mushrooms for a few minutes so that they’re not totally raw (if using frozen mushrooms, you’ll need to stir-fry them until all the water has evaporated). Now mix the vinegar-soaked bread together with the stir-fried mushrooms. Season with salt and pepper and refrigerate for at least 4hrs.
Place the bread/mushroom mixture into your blender and blend together with the chicken stock on high speed. Once smooth, start adding the olive oil in a steady stream until a creamy emulsion is obtained, adding water if it’s too thick for your liking. Check for seasoning and add cumin to taste. Chill thoroughly before serving. Sprinkle over the serrano ham ‘salt’.
Kazy's Kitchen 