Red cabbage gazpacho I serve a version of this at the Fat Duck, and diners love its fresh flavour and wonderful purpleness. The key to that flavour is juicing the final quarter of the cabbage into the soup at the last minute, so that you retain some of its peppery zing. It’s served with mustard ice-cream (p.288), as cabbage contains mustard oil (where its pepperiness comes from). You could also serve the gazpacho – minus the ice-cream – as a summer appetizer in shot glasses.
For the red wine mayonnaise, combine the egg yolk with the mustard in a bowl, then slowly whisk in the oil to form an emulsion. When the emulsion is very stiff, stir in the vinegar and red wine until thoroughly combined. Cover with clingfilm and keep in the fridge until ready to use.
Here I’ve used a red wine mayonnaise to help thicken the soup. The recipe will make more than you need (making less isn’t really an option because you can’t easily weigh out half an egg yolk), but the mayo will keep in the fridge for a week and it’s superb with cold meats or in sandwiches. (For more about making mayonnaise, see p.118.) Serves 4 For the red wine mayonnaise 1 10g 90g 10g 15g
Large egg yolk Dijon mustard Groundnut or grapeseed oil Red wine vinegar Red wine
For the gazpacho 1 1 20g 30g
To start the gazpacho, remove the white core of the cabbage (which can be bitter), and juice three-quarters of the cabbage. Weigh out 250g juice. Place the cabbage juice in a container with the bread and refrigerate for 2 hours. Strain the juice through a fine sieve lined with muslin, using a ladle to press out as much juice as possible from the bread. (The bread releases starch into the juice, which will thicken it a little.) Discard the bread. Just before serving, juice the remaining quarter of red cabbage and strain into the rest of the cabbage juice. Using a hand blender, mix the juice and the mayonnaise, then season with vinegar and salt. When ready to serve, put a small mound of diced cucumber in the bottom of each bowl, then place a small scoop of mustard ice-cream on top. Pour the gazpacho around the ice-cream at the table.
Red cabbage Slice of white sandwich bread, crusts removed Red wine mayonnaise (above) Red wine vinegar Salt
To finish and serve ¼ 4
Cucumber, peeled, de-seeded and finely diced Scoops of mustard ice-cream (p.288)
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