Olives & Vichy sparkling waterIt’s hot this week and we’ve got cold cases full of chilled beverages.   We’ve got a great selection of rosés, white wines and spritzy vinho verdes from Portugal.  We’ve got beer from Spain and France, Fentiman’s Botanical sodas and mineral waters.  And chilled non-pasteurized olives too!

Gazpacho & SalmorejoCold soups are perfect in hot weather.  Hydrating and nutrious, soups such as Spanish Gazpacho or Salmorejo make a light and delicious meal.  We carry Gazpacho and Salmorejo in bottles, made in Spain.  Or, use the recipe below to make your own Gazpacho!

We now have a Party-Pack of 6 Rosés to refresh yourself during hot weather.  For $81.99, you’ll take home 6 bottles of rosé wines, a reuseable 6-bottle wine tote, 10% wine discount and sales tax.  Currently the selection includes Breca Garnacha from Spain, perennial favorites Campuguet and Triennes rosés from the south of France, Carignole La Croix Belle rosé blend from Languedoc, Santa Guilieta rosado from Corsica, and the outstanding Chateau St. Honore Cotes de Provence rosé.

gazpacho spainTHE SPANISH TABLE CLASSIC RED GAZPACHO    Serves 6 to 8
Recipe from The Spanish Table cookbook by Steve Winston
A jug with a secure lid filled with chilled, seasonal soup is the first thing to slip into your picnic basket.  Gazpacho is one of those dishes that depends on the cook’s taste buds because from batch to batch, the flavors of the ingredients vary.  But no matter who makes it, gazpacho is always refreshing, and the variations lend personality.  So add or subtract ingredients at whim with one caveat:  it is the bread and oil that distinguishes gazpacho from vegetable juice.

All measurements approximate as size, ripeness and flavor of ingredients varies seasonally.
2-3 cloves Garlic, peeled
1 teaspoon Salt
1/2 Sweet Onion (optional)
1  Red pepper
1  Green pepper (optional)
1   Cucumber, peeled
4-5 Ripe tomatoes
¼ cup    Sherry vinegar (we recommend Cepa Vieja aged sherry vinegar)
¼ cup    Spanish Extra Virgin Olive Oil such as Ybarra EVOO
2 cups   Stale bread cut up and covered with cold water
Salt to taste

Drop garlic into blender while running, then add ingredients one by one and puree.
Add cold water if needed to allow machine to properly blend ingredient.
As blender fills, dump half the contents into bowl or pitcher, watching for lumps.
Stir and taste.
If needed, adjust salt.
If too sweet, add more vinegar.
Add a pinch of sugar if too acidic.
Add bread if too thin.
Add water if too thick.
Chill for at least 2 hours before serving.