Roasted Tomatillo Gazpacho

It's hard to believe September is already knocking at the door, isn't it? It seems like only yesterday we were enjoying Memorial Day in Argentina. But sure enough, kids are back in school, US Open tennis is in full swing, and the countdown to November's election has officially begun. With the final days of summer ticking away we couldn't help but take what's probably the last opportunity of the season to make ourselves a little gazpacho.

Tomatillos are the perfect, little (wrapped) package to pick up at your farmers market this Sunday or next. Gazpacho is a perfect way to highlight all of the fresh summer produce peaking right now, including ripe and deliciously flavorful tomatoes from your backyard or local farm. Remember that your soup is only going to be as good as the ingredients that go in it!

For those of you new to the tomatillo, it's in the same family as the tomato, yes, but not the same genus. They're smaller and the taste is like... a cross between a tomato and a tart kiwi or maybe even a lemon. When picking your tomatillos, make sure they are bright green (not yellow), firm, and well attached to their dry, paper-like husks. If you want to wait a few days to make your soup, you can store your tomatillos in a paper bag.

Our recipe is a breeze; nothing labor intensive for you this Labor Day. Kick back and give an official "adios" to those beautiful 90 degree afternoons by adding a little something different to your old gazpacho!  We like to make a toast and serve ours in a pitcher with oversized shot glasses around here. Sure there's zing from the tomatillos, but we've got a hint of dry sherry in there as well!

Roasted Tomatillo Gazpacho
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Serves 4

2 cups (or about 15) tomatillos, unhusked and halved
2 cups (or about 6) sweet peppers (we used an assortment)
4 cups (or about 5 medium) really good ripe unpeeled tomatoes (we used an assortment)
3 scallions, chopped
1/2 red onion, diced
3/4 cucumber, peeled and chopped
1/2 bunch chopped parsley
4-5 thin slices of bread, sans crust (we used 5 dinner-sized potato rolls)
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp zinfandel wine vinegar (or red wine vinegar)
1 Tbsp dry sherry
1 tsp kosher salt
15 twists fresh ground black pepper

Garnish:
1 c of minced tomatoes, assorted colors
1/4 cucumber, peeled, seeded and minced
1 Tbsp red onion, minced
2 Tbsp sweet pepper, minced
1 Tbsp green scallion tops, thinly sliced
1 Tbsp parsley, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
drizzle of olive oil and red wine vinegar

1. Turn on broiler. Take the unhusked, halved tomatillos and toss them with extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper. Place them on a sheet pan and roast them under the broiler for about 16 minutes and let cool.


2. Roughly chop tomatoes, peppers, scallions, cucumber, parsley, and red onion. Run water over bread enough to soften but not to the point of disintegration, then gently squeeze out the excess water.

3. Put vegetables and bread in blender or food processor and puree until smooth. You may have to puree in batches. If so, once you've poured all the puree into a large bowl, stir in vinegar, sherry, olive oil, salt, and 15 twists of ground pepper.

If you prefer a chunkier gazpacho you can skip Step 4 and serve it in bowls topped with garnish.

4. For a more drink-friendly gazpacho: strain the soup, pressing to make sure you get all of the liquid out of the vegetables. Taste and adjust seasoning as necessary. Top with minced vegetable garnish and serve. You can chill the soup first if you like, but we prefer ours just like we like our heirloom tomatoes--at room-temp!