Fall temperatures bring colorful leaves, sweater weather, and warm comfort foods to the valley. However, in light of recent weather patterns, it would appear we aren’t quite ready to put our feet up by a fire and slurp on tomato, chicken noodle, or even cheesy broccoli soup. So how about a compromise, with a chilled variety of soup? We’re talking gazpacho.
For the unfamiliar, gazpacho originates from Spain. Traditionally, this soup consists of raw vegetables and is served cold. During hot summer, or September, days, it is a refreshing dish. Gazpacho most commonly contains chopped tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, garlic, oil, and vinegar. For your first foray into new soup territory, try the classic gazpacho on the dining room menu at Copper Bar, on the West Bank. Also on the West Bank, Teton Pines serves up a traditional gazpacho with garden vegetables, and topped with sour cream and croutons.
Snake River Grill’s take on gazpacho is a green cucumber gazpacho. The soup features chile crab, avocado, and is topped with dill croutons. Amangani’s watermelon gazpacho takes on a lighter shade of red than the traditional hue. The flavors in this gazpacho are heightened with mango mint relish, feta, and pickled jicama.
The final feature in our soup sweep is a gazpacho that is more of an accompaniment than the main event. The Kitchen’s Hamachi crudo is served atop what they call a Japanese gazpacho “salsa.” The raw vegetable flavors meld nicely with the dish’s yellowtail.
As the lakes and rivers start to cool, cool off instead with a dive into the fresh flavors of gazpacho.
