* * * * *
To my way of thinking, gazpacho is always lipstick red (chock full of
the ripest tomatoes), jade green (Asian-style), or even bluish-purple
(my playful take on a fruit soup made with blueberries and ginger.)
These can all be found in Radically Simple
and they are a fabulous prelude to an end-of-summer meal. But true
gazpacho, according to Spanish food-and-wine maven, Gerry Dawes, has a
kind of orange-red-coral hue. Offered with a "lazy Susan" of garnishes
-- fresh chopped tomatoes, red and green peppers, cucumbers, onion (or
scallions -- not authentic), chopped egg, warm croutons, the base of the
soup is rather smooth and made textural with these colorful add-ons.
Today, in Spain, says Gerry, "it has become a trend to add chopped
Iberico ham" to the hit parade of toppings.
Over the Labor Day weekend
we enjoyed the fruits of Gerry's labor, as he showed us
step-by-step how to make gazpacho, then regaled us with an authentic
paella laden with shrimp, squid, two kinds of chorizo, rice awash in
homemade fish stock, peas, and peppers -- all cooked in a huge paella
pan set atop an outdoor grill. The goal (and trick) is to get the
bottom of the rice to form a nice caramelized crust (socarrat), that is
both desirable and delicious. Gerry did.
You should see him in the
kitchen: the culinary equivalent of a matador.
Gerry Dawes was deemed by the late James Michener, to be the rightful heir to scribe the sequel to Michener's Iberia.
Known by many to be one of the leading experts on Spain's gastronomic
scene -- both past and present -- he is the recipient of Spain's
prestigious Premio Nacional de Gastronomia (National Gastronomy
Award) in 2003 and is a familiar figure on Spain's restaurant circuit.
But as food and wine is part of history and culture, Gerry's vast
knowledge of Spain, and his beautiful writing style earned him that
opportunity by Michener himself.
Gerry, however, is so busy entertaining friends, making gazpacho, and bringing famous chefs to
Spain, that the reality of his novel still awaits. Gerry has lived
on-and-off in Spain for 30 years and his travel notebooks alone are
worth stealing. He was the first American journalist to write about
Catalan star chef, Ferran Adria for FoodArts (they are now good
friends). According to Michael Batterberry, FoodArt's late beloved
publisher and editor, "...That we were the first to introduce American
readers to Ferran Adria in 1997 and have ever since continued to bring
you a blow-by-blow narrative of Spain's riveting ferment is chiefly due
to our Spanish correspondent, Gerry "Mr. Spain" Dawes, the messianic
wine and food journalist raised in Southern Illinois and possessor of a
self-accumulated doctorate in the Spanish Table." Whew. I couldn't
have said it better.
So, it was Mr. Spain last
weekend, who finally taught me the gospel-of-gazpacho. No hot spices
(the heat come from the garlic), the proper texture, the requisite
color, and the most fabulous taste. I took notes and you will find my
approximation below. His is the Gazpacho a la Sevilliana -- taught to
him by his "Spanish mother" Maria Franco, the proprietress of Pension
Santa Cruz located in the old Jewish quarter of Seville. In the old
days, it cost $1.00 a night and an extra .15 cents for a hot shower.
Gerry differentiated his Sevillana gazpacho from the more brick-colored,
thicker, sauce-like salmorejo gazpachos of Córdoba, which are often served with strips of fried eggplant.
If you are ever planning a trip to Spain, you might want to hire
Gerry to write your itinerary and fix-you-up with some of Spain's
greatest chefs and restaurants, or follow Gerry Dawes's Spain: An
Insider's Guide to Spanish Food, Wine, Culture and Travel, on his
generous blog. His photography is also award-winning. www.gerrydawesspain.com
Gerry's Gazpacho
Gerry says the base of gazpacho is primal -- water, vinegar, garlic and bread.
5 very large ripe tomatoes, cut into wedges
1-1/2 large cucumbers, peeled, seeded and chopped
1/4 cup vinegar (Gerry used 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar, 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar, and 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar)
4 ounces soft baguette, soaked in a bowl of 2 cups water for 20 minutes
1 cup chopped red peppers
1 cup chopped green peppers
1 cup chopped orange peppers
2 large cloves garlic
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Process everything in the food processor until smooth, including the
water from the soaking bread. Strain into a large bowl. Process the
remaining solids until very smooth and add to soup. Chill until very
cold. Add salt to taste. Garnish with remaining cucumber, chopped,
chopped tomatoes, chopped peppers, chopped egg, chopped onion, and warm
croutons. Serves 6 to 8
* * * * *
Sunset in a Glass: Adventures of a Food & Wine Road Warrior in Spain (Volumes I, II, III & IV; publication of the first two volumes in Fall 2021.
“Gerry
Dawes has lived, analysed argued, savoured, prodded, tested, teased and
loved his way through Spain's extraordinary gastronomic heritage for
decades. Food as friendship is at the core of this wild, passionate road
trip through Spain. This is a masterclass in storytelling - delicious
and addictive. I have always loved his writings and deep, deep
knowledge of Spain and often hear accolades about him from mutual
friends in Spain "--Spain expert Gijs van Hensbergen, author of Guernica: The Biography of a Twentieth-Century Icon, In the Kitchens of Castile and Gaudí: A Biography. (Endorsement quote for Sunset in a Glass: Adventures of a Food & Wine Road Warrior in Spain.)
* * * * *
Constructive comments are welcome and encouraged.
If
you enjoy these blog posts, please consider a contribution to help me
continue the work of gathering all this great information and these
photographs for Gerry Dawes's Insider's Guide to Spanish Food, Wine,
Culture and Travel. Contributions of $5 and up will be greatly
appreciated. Contributions of $100 or more will be acknowledged on the
blog. Please click on this secure link to Paypal to make your contribution.
Text and photographs copyright by Gerry Dawes©2021. Using photographs without crediting Gerry Dawes©2021 on Facebook. Publication without my written permission is not authorized.
* * * * *
Shall deeds of Caesar or Napoleon ring
More true than Don Quixote's vapouring?
Hath winged Pegasus more nobly trod
Than Rocinante stumbling up to God?
Poem
by Archer M. Huntington inscribed under the Don Quixote on his horse
Rocinante bas-relief sculpture by his wife, Anna Vaughn Hyatt
Huntington,
in the courtyard of the Hispanic Society of America’s incredible museum at 613 W. 155th Street, New York City.
__________________________________________________________________________________
In
2019, again ranked in the Top 50 Gastronomy Blogs and Websites for
Gastronomists & Gastronomes in 2019 by Feedspot. (Last Updated Oct
23, 2019)
"The
Best Gastronomy blogs selected from thousands of Food blogs, Culture
blogs and Food Science blogs in our index using search and social
metrics. We’ve carefully selected these websites because they are
actively working to educate, inspire, and empower their readers with
frequent updates and high-quality information."
36. Gerry Dawes's Spain: An Insider's Guide to Spanish Food, Wine, Culture and Travel
About Gerry Dawes
My
good friend Gerry Dawes, the unbridled Spanish food and wine enthusiast
cum expert whose writing, photography, and countless crisscrossings of
the peninsula have done the most to introduce Americans—and especially
American food professionals—to my country's culinary life." --
Chef-restaurateur-humanitarian José Andrés, Nobel Peace Prize Nominee
and Oscar Presenter 2019
Gerry Dawes is the Producer and Program Host of Gerry Dawes & Friends, a weekly radio progam on Pawling Public Radio in Pawling, New York (streaming live and archived at www.pawlingpublicradio.org and at www.beatofthevalley.com.)
Dawes
was awarded Spain's prestigious Premio Nacional de Gastronomía
(National Gastronomy Award) in 2003. He writes and speaks frequently on
Spanish wine and gastronomy and leads gastronomy, wine and cultural
tours to Spain. He was a finalist for the 2001 James Beard Foundation's
Journalism Award for Best Magazine Writing on Wine, won The Cava
Institute's First Prize for Journalism for his article on cava in 2004,
was awarded the CineGourLand “Cinéfilos y Gourmets” (Cinephiles &
Gourmets) prize in 2009 in Getxo (Vizcaya) and received the 2009
Association of Food Journalists Second Prize for Best Food Feature in a
Magazine for his Food Arts article, a retrospective piece about Catalan
star chef, Ferran Adrià.
".
. .That we were the first to introduce American readers to Ferran Adrià
in 1997 and have ever since continued to bring you a blow-by-blow
narrative of Spain's riveting ferment is chiefly due to our Spanish
correspondent, Gerry "Mr. Spain" Dawes, the messianic wine and food
journalist raised in Southern Illinois and possessor of a
self-accumulated doctorate in the Spanish table. Gerry once again brings
us up to the very minute. . ." - - Michael & Ariane Batterberry,
Editor-in-Chief/Publisher and Founding Editor/Publisher, Food Arts,
October 2009.
Pilot for a reality television series on wine, gastronomy, culture and travel in Spain.
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