Yellow tomato gazpacho
Instructions:
- 21⁄2 pounds yellow tomatoes;
- 2 yellow or orange bell peppers;
- 1 jalapeño or other chile;
- 3 Persian cucumbers or 1 English cucumber or other variety with thin skins and minimal seeds (about 1 pound);
- 1 medium red onion;
- 11⁄2 cups 1-inch cubes crustless Italian or French bread;
- 2 garlic cloves;
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt;
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper;
- 1⁄2 teaspoon sweet or hot paprika;
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin;
- 1 teaspoon sugar;
- 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar, divided;
- 4 tablespoons extravirgin olive oil, divided.
- Core the tomatoes, cut into large chunks, collecting the juices, and place in a large bowl.
- Core the bell peppers. Finely dice one of the peppers and set it aside in medium bowl. Coarsely chop the other pepper and add it to the tomatoes.
- Trim the stem end from the jalapeno. (To reduce its heat, cut it in half lengthwise and trim away the seeds and inner membranes.) Coarsely chop the jalapeno and add to the tomatoes.
- Peel the cucumbers. Finely dice 1 cup of cucumber and add to the finely diced bell pepper. Coarsely chop the remaining cucumbers and add to the tomato mixture.
- Finely dice 1⁄2 cup of onion and add to the finely diced pepper and cucumber. Coarsely chop the rest of the onion and add to the tomato mixture.
- Place the bread in a small bowl and cover with cold water. Let sit for 1 minute, then drain off the water, squeeze the bread dry, and add to the tomato mixture.
- Transfer half of the tomato mixture into a blender. Add the garlic, salt, pepper, paprika, cumin, and sugar. Add 1 tablespoon of the vinegar and 2 tablespoons of the oil. Blend on the lowest speed to finely chop the vegetables. Increase the speed to high and blend until very smooth, at least 1 minute. Pour the puree into a fine-mesh sieve set over a large bowl. Use a rubber spatula to push the puree into the bowl, extracting as much liquid as possible. Discard the solids. If the vegetables were sufficiently pureed, there should be little more than seeds and bits of tomato skin.
- Repeat with the remaining coarsely chopped tomato and vegetable mixture, 1 tablespoon of vinegar, and 2 tablespoons of oil.
- Taste the gazpacho to check the seasoning. Stir in the finely diced vegetables.
- Cover and refrigerate until well chilled, at least 4 hours and preferably overnight. Whisk the gazpacho and taste again to check the seasoning just before serving.