The word gazpacho makes me think of a cold, fresh tomato soup. But our friend John Ash has opened our eyes to another form of gazpacho — a flavorful salad that would make for a great alfresco dinner this time of year on the patio or deck.Called pipirrana, this Spanish dish pairs well with many ingredients, including dry-cured ham or tuna. The above photo gives you an idea of the possibilities — though it isn’t the actual dish prepared from John’s recipe.

John, a highly regarded California chef and culinary instructor, gave us his version of pipirrana when we asked if he had any tomatoes recipes to share.

The recipe calls for some ingredients you see in a typical gazpacho, namely ripe tomatoes and vinegar.

But John’s pipirrana has a number of ingredients you probably won’t find in many gazpachos: hard-boiled eggs, a charred poblano pepper, and Serrano ham.

To make the salad, soak a piece of crustless baguette in water for about a minute and then squeeze it dry. Mash a couple of cloves of garlic in a mortar and pestle along with some salt. Using the mortar and pestle, mash the garlic paste with the bread, the yolks from two hard-boiled eggs, and vinegar until smooth. You can also do the job with a mini food processor.

Add extra virgin olive oil in a slow stream while stirring constantly (or with the motor running) to form a thick sauce. Stir in black pepper and season to taste with salt, if desired.

Spoon the sauce onto 4 chilled salad plates.  Toss the tomatoes, which have been cubed, poblano pepper and ham together and spoon on top of the sauce.  Drizzle the dish with more EVOO and top it with chopped hard-boiled egg whites.

Bon appétit,

Claude S. Weiller
Vice President of Sales & Marketing
California Olive Ranch

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