Gazpacho Recipe
G azpacho is the "edible emblem" of Andalusia, the region in Spain where it originated, says Anya von Bremzen, author of The New Spanish Table. Tracing its history, Von Bremzen notes that gazpacho did not become widely popular in Europe until the mid-19th century, when Napoleon III's wife, Eugenia de Montijo, who was born in Andalusia, brought it to France. However, the classic soup has existed for centuries, and many regional variations of the recipe remain. Today red tomatoes tend to star in the soup, but tomatoes were not included in the mix until the 1500s, when Columbus and his crew are said to have brought them to Spain. Although some gazpacho recipes do include bread in the soup as a thickener, Felder does not consider it necessary in this version; the soup has a lovely, substantial texture from the vegetables on their own. Instead, Felder adds the bread in the form of crisp garlic-flavored croutons—tiny cubes of stale bread sautéed in garlic-infuse...