Yield: 12 portions
Gazpacho
2½ pounds tomatoes, red and pink
2½ pounds tomatoes, green when ripe
2½ pounds tomatoes, yellow and orange
3 teaspoons salt
9 basil leaves, slightly bruised
3 teaspoons coarsely chopped garlic
Fresh-ground black pepper to taste
Garnish
½ pound cucumbers, peeled, seeded, and
cut into small dice
1½ pounds assorted tomatoes, cut into
small dice
½ bunch green onions (both green and
white parts), sliced
2 Hass avocados, cut into small dice
1 red bell pepper, peeled, seeded, and cut
into very small dice
1 yellow bell pepper, peeled, seeded, and
cut into very small dice
3 jalapeño peppers, seeded and cut into
very small dice
Salt to taste
Crunchy Croutons (see below)
Extra-virgin olive oil to taste
Opal basil, chiffonade, as needed
Italian parsley, chiffonade, as needed
1. Make the gazpacho: Coarsely chop the tomatoes, one color at a time; keep separated in three bowls. Add 1 teaspoon of the salt, 3 of the basil leaves, and 1 teaspoon of the chopped garlic to each bowl. Let sit for 2 hours.
2. In the meantime, prepare the garnishes and place each in a separate smaller bowl. Combine the bell and jalapeño peppers; season with salt and set aside. Cover each garnish with plastic wrap and refrigerate if preparing in advance.
3. Remove the basil leaves from the bowls of tomatoes. Starting with the yellow and orange tomatoes, pass the macerated mixture through a food mill to purée. Do the same for the green and red tomatoes. Rinse the food mill when changing colors. Keep the three colors in separate bowls. Taste, add black pepper, and adjust the salt. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
4. You will need some assistance to serve this soup, so ask a friend to lend a hand. (Only one hand will be needed.) Fill three 2-ounce ladles or glass measuring cups with the tomato purées; on the count of three, acting in concert, slowly add all three purées to a glass goblet. Repeat with other goblets. (If you don’t have goblets, soup plates will work fine.)
5. Place a teaspoon or so of each garnish over the soup or allow guests to serve themselves.
CRUNCHY CROUTONS
More than 150 years ago, in her book The Good Housekeeper, or The Way to Live Well, and to Be Well While We Live, self-declared good housekeeper Sarah Josepha Hale dressed up her soups with toasted breads or crackers. The bad housekeeper, according to Mrs. Hale, served boiled doughy dumplings, “libels on civilized cookery,” as hard to digest as bricks “from the ruins of Babylon.” Crunchy croutons are delicate and digestive; the crunchiest croutons with soft innards are made with fresh bread and toasted in a hot oven.
Yield: 2 quarts
1 loaf levain or Tuscan-style bread
½ cup pure olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. Tear the bread into small chunks. Toss with the olive oil, salt, and pepper. Spread in a single layer on a cookie sheet and toast. Toss occasionally with a spatula so the croutons brown evenly. Reserve.