Fry

Tropical Gazpacho Served with Fried Ripe Plantains

Name: Tropical Gazpacho Served with Fried Ripe Plantains
Yield: Serves 4to 6
Ingredients: • 3/4 cup Macadamia nuts, blanched +1/4 toasted and chopped for garnish; • 1 cup water; • 1 tablespoon sugar or honey; • 4 Thai basil leaves; • 2 cups ripe chopped peeled mango (2 mangoes); • 1 cup ripe chopped peeled green papaya; • 1 cup chopped fresh pineapple; • 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil (preferably Spanish); • 1/2 cup medium dry Sherry wine; • 1/2 jalapeño or 1/4 habanera pepper (if you can take the heat), diced; • Salt to taste; • 2 ripe plantains, peeled and cut diagonally or round, into 1/4-inch thick slices; • Canola or vegetable oil; • Coarse salt

by: Kukla

May 10, 2012

0 Ratings

Tropical Gazpacho Served with Fried Ripe Plantains

Serves 4to 6

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Author Notes

Most people think tomato, peppers, cucumbers, onion and garlic when they hear gazpacho, but there's no tomato and none of the other ingredients in sight here. This version is my spin on Spain's classic white gazpacho which features green grapes, thickened with bread and Marcona almonds to a silky creaminess. I choose to pair only fruit, flavors and nuts which to me sound and taste really tropical. This Gazpacho served with the fried plantains will make a perfect first course. The key to an excellent plate of Fried Ripe Plantains is to ensure that the plantains are at the right degree of ripeness. The skin should be almost black or in some cases, have a dull yellow color with patches of black. The riper the plantain, the sweeter it is. Ripe plantains peel easily and cook up in no time. —Kukla

What You'll Need

Ingredients

For the Gazpacho
• 3/4 cup Macadamia nuts, blanched +1/4 toasted and chopped for garnish
• 1 cup water
• 1 tablespoon sugar or honey
• 4 Thai basil leaves
• 2 cups ripe chopped peeled mango (2 mangoes)
• 1 cup ripe chopped peeled green papaya
• 1 cup chopped fresh pineapple
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil (preferably Spanish)
• 1/2 cup medium dry Sherry wine
• 1/2 jalapeño or 1/4 habanera pepper (if you can take the heat), diced
• Salt to taste

For the Fried Ripe Plantains
• 2 ripe plantains, peeled and cut diagonally or round, into 1/4-inch thick slices
• Canola or vegetable oil
• Coarse salt

Directions

For the Gazpacho
Combine Macadamia nuts, sugar or honey, basil leaves and water in saucepan. Bring to a boil, turn of the heat and cool slightly. Place mixture in food processor or blender with remaining ingredients. Puree until smooth. Strain through a fine sift to a bowl; season to taste. Cover and chill about 2 hours or overnight.

For the Fried Ripe Plantains
Drizzle oil into frying pan just enough to coat the bottom of the pan and place on medium heat. When oil begins to shimmer, add plantains (work in batches), and fry for about 2 minutes on one side, flip and cook for 1 minute on the other side.
Remove plantains from pan and rest on paper towels. Continue frying in batches until all the plantains are fried. Sprinkle lightly with sea salt to give a sweet and salty taste to the plantains.
To serve, chop the remaining 1/4 cup of Macadamia nuts. Stir the gazpacho, and then pour it into shallow bowls. Garnish with basil leaves, fried plantains, chopped nuts and serve.

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Bevi
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4 Reviews

Bevi May 10, 2012

The first time I ever heard of white gazpacho/Spanish gazpacho was reading about it in an autobiography by Slim Hawks. I was completely intrigued! She did mention cucumber, garlic, and bread as I remember it.

Kukla May 10, 2012

I’ve seen Chef Jose Andres, he has a show “Made In Spain” on PBS; I like him because he cooks with passion but also seems genuinely happy to be cooking or teaching about Spanish food. In addition to cucumber, garlic and bread he uses Marcona almonds. The soup is called “Ajo Blanco” and it is so popular in Spain; they celebrate a feast for the dish each year. Thanks Bevi for your interest in this recipe!