Gazpacho
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A thirst-quenching burst of summer. Tomatoes, garlic, peppers, cucumber and onion blended into a silky smooth chilled soup. Easy and quick to make.
Serves:4 people
Ingredients
- 1 k tomatoes - preferably heirloom and vine ripened
- 1 green long green salad pepper
- 1 large cucumber - peeled
- 1 medium sweet onion
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 tbsp sherry vinigar
- 75-100 ml extra virgin olive oil
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 slices simple day-old bread soaked in a little water - don't use sourdough or wholemeal bread as it will overpower the soup. optional
- Garnish; boiled eggs, chopped ham, chopped peppers/cherry tomatoes/cucumber/ham, croutons or fresh herbs. optional
Instructions
- Roughly chop all the vegetables, removing any tomato cores if necessary. Reserve a tablespoon of cucumber, onion and pepper for the garnish - if desired.
- Blend the onions, garlic, cucumber and pepper.
- Add the tomatoes (bread if using), vinegar and salt and blend until smooth.
- With the motor turning, drizzle in the olive oil until you achieve a silky and smooth emulsion. Usually, you need about 75-100 ml of olive oil.
- You can balance with a little more salt now, but you may want to wait until the soup is chilled and then add, if necessary, a little cold water and salt before you serve.
- *Serve chilled either in a bowl. Decorate with the diced vegetables, a boiled egg, a little chopped ham, croutons or fresh herbs. If serving in a glass, perhaps only a drizzle of olive oil and fresh herbs.
Notes
*Garnishes vary depending on the region in Spain, but it is really up to you. You may want to add chopped ham, a sliced boiled egg, or croutons if it is a lunch dish.
I prefer diced vegetables or, if it is in a glass, just a little mint or basil. Especially if you add bread - gazpacho is surprisingly filling - lots of fibre.
Once chilled, the cold soup tastes quite different - so it is best to wait and adjust the seasoning.
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