'Tis the season for Basque and gazpacho

It's that time of year when Karen and I look forward to the St. Teresa of Avila Basque Festival, which benefits church youth programs. This is the 13th year for what has grown to be the largest celebration of Basque heritage in Northern Nevada and is just one of the many things we love about living in the Capital City.

The day begins with an open-air Mass and continues with sheepherding demonstrations, music, traditional competitions and dance, celebrating a culture that is colorfully rich and textured and deeply ingrained in our local history and community. This is a day that is geared for families, with countless activities available for the little ones, too.

Besides the sheepherding and ranching that grew up here thanks to the hard work and dedication of these immigrants, who had come from that ribbon of mountainous space nestled between France and Spain, the Basque culture has perpetuated a love of family and community evidenced in their food and how it is served. Serving family-style is the practice at Basque restaurants in keeping with the idea that where friends and family gather, break bread and talk together, unbreakable ties are forged.

To honor this tradition, I am sharing a bit of my own family's history.

Even though gazpacho is a broad-based Spanish recipe regionally tailored throughout that part of the world, I am sharing my mom's recipe with you today. Her recipe has been adapted to the Basque tradition thanks in part to our family visits to San Sebastian, Spain.

The recipe is written in her hand on stationary that says “From the Desk of Adele Abowd.” It's comforting, bitter-sweet and in a way, like having her here, cooking with me.

So, let's get to it.

Adele's Gazpacho

Yields six quarts; about 14 servings

2 cups fresh, ripe tomatoes, chopped and seeded

Preparation: You will need 4 quarts of tomatoes, so approximately 10, 4-inch tomatoes; adjust if using a smaller variety. I prefer organically-grown Heirloom tomatoes, but Beefsteak or Roma will also work. Blanch 8 to 10 minutes, until skins look like they're falling off and then place them in cold water momentarily. This is called shocking, where the temperature changes rapidly from hot to cold. Drain.

1 cup chopped and seeded cucumber

1 cup chopped sweet onion

1⁄4 cup Anaheim pepper (you can also use pacillia or jalapeño peppers depending on the degree of spiciness you prefer)

1⁄2 cup roughly chopped king or queen-sized pimento-stuffed green olives

10 roughly chopped garlic cloves (approximately 2 tablespoons)

1⁄4 cup Spanish sherry vinegar

1⁄2 cup dry sherry wine

Place all ingredients in a bowl and mix gently together. One portion at a time (there will be about four portions total), run ingredients through your food processor until fully pureed or adjust to meet your personal taste. Personally, I like my gazpacho in between.

Season to taste using fine sea salt and fresh ground pepper.

I like to serve it warm or kicked up by adding a bit of chili sauce. Keep in mind the peppers in the gazpacho will heat up. You may want to let the flavors bloom a bit before adding chili sauce.