It was common on rainy, wintry school mornings for my mother to pack my lunchbox with one of my favorite lunches: Vegetable soup spooned into my Batman thermos along with packs of oyster crackers and a Rice Crispy Treat. That steamy soup not only made me feel warm and cozy physically, but made me feel loved and cared for, too.
I can't remember not loving soup. Maybe it was my finicky appetite, or my nervous stomach when I was young, but soup has always been my favorite comfort meal. So when I was introduced to gazpacho for the first time (as an adult), I assumed I would love it.
But I didn't love it. Nope, not at all.
Despite the fact it was July in south-central Alabama and despite knowing gazpacho is cold soup, the taste of it's not being hot was somehow a problem for me, or more like an affront to my senses. I actually thought it tasted like cold, thinned pasta sauce and did not want a second taste to confirm my supposition.
In my mind it either needed to be thinner, in a glass over ice and spiked with vodka; or hot and thicker, served over noodles with a hefty bit of salty cheese. I would have been happy had it been unblended and seasoned for salsa, but no, it was evidently soup. Unfortunately, I was a guest at a small, elegant engagement party where there was no escaping it or the eyes of the other's at the table, who all clearly loved it.
I spent years after that first taste thinking I simply did not like gazpacho and effectively avoided it. I don't know if I changed or the gazpacho recipes changed, but over the last few years, I have had several variations that I have enjoyed quite a lot. Most recently a neighbor friend of mine served it as a first course to what turned out to be a brilliant dinner and her gazpacho was spectacular. Needless to say, I have become more adventuresome and gazpacho-friendly.
I had never heard of nor had green gazpacho until recently when my abundance of avocados, cucumbers, jalapeños and the like were on display a few weeks ago. My friend who is also a chef, Rebecca Barron, suggested I make green gazpacho out of my lovely bounty and then went on to further suggest I serve it topped with seasoned crabmeat.
She didn't give me exact measurements, but did give me a basic plan and enough direction so that I felt confident and inspired. What resulted was a work of art by yours truly.
I would love to think that just because I made it that it is mine, but I must humbly give credit to Rebecca. I would have never thought to add a green apple or red wine vinegar or dill or numerous other things. She is such a creative genius. She rattled this recipe off in about thirty seconds, like it was nothing — and it is nothing short of the stupendous.
Hats off to Rebecca! You did it again. This soup is a work of art.
