Before I met Brian, he mostly enjoyed tomatoes in forms other than themselves. As in, he liked lots of the resultant products: spaghetti and pizza sauce, ketchup, salsa. But a slice of raw tomato, no matter how juicy and fresh, wasn’t really his thing.

I worked long and hard to convert him. The conquest might have taken years, but now, a decade and a half in, I can safely say that he often voluntarily eats tomatoes — if his children haven’t sniped all of them. I’ll take both sides of that equation as a win, unless of course I wanted some, too.

Perhaps the most persuasive part of Brian’s path to tomatoes was one of the simplest and yet most quintessential ways to enjoy them. No, not tomato sandwiches; delicious as that layering of homemade bread, quality mayonnaise, rich-red tomato, and coarse salt and pepper is. Great, now I’m hungry. It’s actually a salad like a caprese, but not even needing the mozzarella (although cheese is never turned down). Just tomatoes sliced in wedges, arranged on a plate and drizzled with olive oil and reduced balsamic vinegar, then showered in coarse salt and fresh basil.

I get Spanish vibes when I think about this salad (aha! an actual salad! see also my jello commentary last week), because I first had it in Spain with my aunt and uncle who lived there for several years. The quality of olive oil and balsamic was clearly higher in that country of production than here, but the concept still translates very well anywhere there are fresh garden tomatoes — well enough to work as Brian’s gateway into accepting raw tomatoes.

If I had, however, turned to a different Spanish raw tomato dish, things could have easily been forever hopeless for Brian. He would have dug in his heels in staunch aversion to tomatoes in perpetuity. Gazpacho, an iconic summer soup originating from southern Spain, is essentially All the Things Brian Does Not Appreciate: soup, cold, blended, usually meatless, potentially spicy. That exact list of adjectives could also read as Some of Amanda’s Favorite Things. (Apparently we are opposites in more than just personality tests.)

Though there are many regional variations of gazpacho — technically pronounced with Castilian Spain’s dental fricative, aka lisp, on the z — the Andalusian version is the most common. Raw veg, primarily tomatoes, are blended with bread and olive oil, to create a vibrant and refreshing lunch/beverage; a delicious way to stay fed plus hydrated in scorching temperatures.

Sounds very suitable for Kansas summers, si? At least if you’re me, and not Brian.

In light of Spain winning the World Cup, Spanish food in general seems particularly suitable this summer. I will always be partial to their cuisine after having visited with my family, and even though I don’t know that I had gazpacho there, by association it seems tied to fond memories.

And new fond memories as I make and serve it to family and friends. People other than Brian.

Creamless Creamy Gazpacho

While not everyone’s piece of cake, gazpacho is packed with the flavors and nutrition of summer — plus there’s no cooking required, a worthwhile bonus on these days that are just too hot. Enjoy with a sandwich for a light lunch, alongside the rest of your supper, or as fortifying electrolytes throughout the day. The bread and emulsifying olive oil provide body and texture, making this soup rich yet anything but heavy.

Prep tips: make sure your tomatoes are nice and ripe. If you like, small-dice extra of the veggies and serve as garnish on the soup, along with diced ham and hard-boiled eggs.

• 2 pounds fresh tomatoes of choice
• 1 small cucumber (or ½ a large one)
• 1 small green bell pepper
• whatever size portion of a spicy pepper
• 1 slice soft bread
• 2-4 ounces good olive oil
• a splash of red wine vinegar
• a hefty handful of fresh basil

Roughly chop veggies, and toss with a shower of coarse salt in a colander set over a bowl. Let sit for half an hour or so, then tear bread into pieces and soak it in the vegetables’ drained juices. Transfer all to a blender, and process until smooth. Gradually stream in the olive oil and the vinegar, then reduce speed to medium and toss in the basil to chop. Refrigerate for a couple hours or overnight until fully chilled; salt and pepper generously to taste before serving.

Contact Amanda Miller by email at hyperpeanutbutter@gmail.com.