From the menu of ... Portofino, 3199 Paces Ferry Place, Atlanta. 404-231-1136, www.portofinoatl.com.
Q. Thank you for publishing these wonderful recipes. One that would be worth its weight in gold would be Portofino's gazpacho, not their asparagus gazpacho but their regular one. It's healthy and extremely delicious. We get it to go a couple of times a week. Thanks for making this such a great section in the newspaper!
-- Melissa Stang, Atlanta
A. Portofino owner Michael Anderson is a generous man. Five years ago he shared the recipe for his asparagus gazpacho and it was one of the AJC’s Golden Whisk winners for 2006. Now he’s sharing the secrets for the restaurant’s seasonal special of tomato gazpacho, served under the direction of chef Paul Sidener.
Sidener said the soup is “temperamental,” since the tomatoes can vary from sweet to tart. Make the soup according to the recipe and then taste it to decide if you need to add more sugar or salt, or even a little more vinegar or lime juice.
“This gazpacho first appeared nine years ago," Anderson said. "We switched to an asparagus gazpacho for two or three years, and then have served this version since. Our phone starts ringing [early in the summer] to see if the gazpacho is back yet. Each time we bring it back we garnish it slightly differently. This year the garnish is a lime and black pepper creme fraiche."
The garnish also includes some of the chopped vegetables that appear in the soup as well as micro greens.
Is there a restaurant recipe you'd like to make at home? Tell us and we'll try to get it. We'll also test it and adapt it for the home kitchen. Because of volume, we can't answer all inquiries. Send your request and your address and phone number to svanatten@ajc.com and put "From the menu of" and the name of the restaurant in the subject line.
Portofino’s gazpacho
Hands on: 20 minutes
Total time: 20 minutes plus chilling time
Makes: 12 cups
4 pounds beefsteak tomatoes, cored and roughly chopped
4 celery stalks, roughly chopped
2 cucumbers, peeled and roughly chopped
1 yellow bell pepper, roughly chopped
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 cup water
1/2 cup sherry vinegar
1/2 cup chopped parsley
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
3 tablespoons granulated sugar, or to taste up to 6 tablespoons
2 tablespoons salt, or to taste up to 4 tablespoons
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper, or to taste
Juice of one lime
In the jar of a blender, puree tomatoes, celery, cucumbers, pepper, olive oil, water, vinegar, parsley, basil, sugar, salt, tomato paste, black pepper and lime juice. You will probably need to do this in batches. Stir everything together, then season to taste. Refrigerate before serving. Can be made up to two days in advance.
Per 1-cup serving: 217 calories (percent of calories from fat, 73), 2 grams protein, 13 grams carbohydrates, 2 grams fiber, 19 grams fat (3 grams saturated), no cholesterol, 1,104 milligrams sodium.
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