I got a 14-cup Cuisinart for my birthday and decided to inagurate it with gazpacho. This rather angry article argues that gazpacho’s basis is an emulsion of bread and oil, the tomato being a late New World addition to the recipe. I have no problem with this but fail to see why a blender would be superior to a food processor for producing an emulsion.

In any event I crumbled up some stale bread, set it a-whirring with the chop blade, and slowly drizzled in half a cup of Carli FOP olive oil. Then added a clove of garlic, half a cucumber, two and half pounds of tomatoes, salt, and sherry vinegar. Chilled for 2 hours (not long enough) and ate it (followed by black pig pork chops baked in milk and onions).

The result strangely resembles tomato soup rather than gazpacho, as you can see from the picture below, but was quite good. I wish I’d used better tomatoes: next time I’ll get some from the farmer’s market. There’s still some in the fridge – I bet it will be even tastier today.

We drank a Jura red from Arbois with it: Jacques Puffeney’s 2005 trousseau. Delicate, almost dark-rose color, with rose petals and a crisp, dry finish, like a lighter Loire red.

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