Gazpacho is a Spanish chilled soup with ripe, fresh tomatoes and other seasonal vegetables. Make a refreshing batch to use your garden vegetables during the hottest days of the year.
The other morning I went out on a walk and it felt just a little crisper in the air. However, upon my return to the house and looking in the mirror I realized my hair confirmed the level of humidity. If you live in a humid environment you know exactly what I’m talking about. Even though in many places it’s starting to ‘cool’ down a bit, here in Miami we’re still having quite a few hot and humid days. With that type of weather all I want is hydrating foods and recipes that don’t require an oven. Enter my next recipe creation: Gazpacho.
Needless to say I’ve still been on the ‘don’t turn on the oven’ train these past couple of weeks. My Iceberg Wedge Salad and Watermelon, Mint, & Feta Salad have been giving me life. I also made some whipped goat cheese toast to pair with these salads/soups. Easy, light, refreshing, and most importantly, hydrating! Years ago I went to Spain and while it’s not tomato season here in Miami, I’ve always wanted to make gazpacho. Can’t wait to re-make this when it is our tomato season!
Ingredients: Gazpacho
- Tomatoes – the best of the best are the ones you want! This is a great summer recipe in many parts of the country since tomatoes are in season. I’ve done this recipe with simply raw tomatoes and also grilling the tomatoes. The grilling adds extra flavor. Either way it’s delicious if you’re using flavorful tomatoes (a given, but important to mention).
- Red Bell Pepper – If you use different color tomatoes you could also use an orange or yellow bell pepper here as well.
- Cucumbers – I used the long and slender English cucumber for this recipe. Peeling helps to keep the color of the soup a vibrant color. For the toppings I left the peel on.
- Onion/Shallot – Use a shallot if you do have it on hand. Shallots are a tad more mild in flavor and won’t overpower the other flavors. Otherwise, soak the raw onion in a bit of water before to help offset any bitter flavor it can impart.
- Garlic – Just a small clove will do. Feel free to add more, but I’d start with less at first.
- Extra-Virgin Olive Oil – Since this is a cold soup and no heat is involved, use a high-quality extra-virgin olive oil here.
- Black Pepper – I tend to use black pepper and no salt. A small amount of salt could be added, but again, taste before automatically adding it in. Always my recommendation when using any spice.
- Fresh Basil – Added a couple leaves to the actual soup, but to avoid it looking ugly in color, don’t add too many. Too much green with the red would turn it brown and we definitely don’t want that!
How To Make Gazpacho
Traditional Gazpacho recipes call for tomatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers, garlic, olive oil, vinegar, and bread, which thickens the soup. I left the bread out in my version and toasted a slice so I could dip it in my Gazpacho. My soup was ‘thick’ enough even with just 1/4 cup of olive oil. And I used just a tablespoon of vinegar since my tomatoes were quite sweet. This gazpacho is light, refreshing, & most importantly super hydrating. Enjoy!
- As tomatoes are the main ingredient, aim to find the best tomatoes out there. In Miami it’s not tomato season right now, but I was able to find some (more expensive) that were quite sweet and flavorful. You definitely don’t want mealy and grainy in taste, otherwise the soup will not taste great.
- Grill the tomatoes or leave them raw. Grilling the tomatoes is an extra step. If you’ve ever had the ‘fire roasted’ tomatoes from the can, that’s the effect they’d have here in this gazpacho – a smokier flavor. Your choice, however, both are equally delicious (as I’ve made it both ways).
- Cut up all your other veggies. Peel and dice your cucumber, dice your shallot/onion, and dice your pepper.
- Throw all the veggies into a food processor (if it’s big enough) and/or a blender. I no longer have a high powered blender, but my blender still did the job. I then used a colander to pour the gazpacho through and remove any leftover seeds/pieces that didn’t blend smoothly.
- Chill the gazpacho. Give the soup at least 2 hours to chill in the refrigerator. And from there garnish with a few pieces of diced cucumber, pepper, onion/shallot, and basil leaves. Drizzle a little olive oil on top as garnish. And voila, gazpacho is served!
Other Hydrating Recipes
Print Gazpacho
Gazpacho is a Spanish chilled soup with ripe, fresh tomatoes and other seasonal vegetables. Make a refreshing batch to use your garden vegetables during the hottest days of the year.
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 6 1x
Ingredients
- 2 pounds ripe tomatoes
- 1 large red pepper, halved
- 1 small garlic clove, peeled
- 1 small shallot, halved
- 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 English cucumber, peeled and halved
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
- 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves
Instructions
- *If grilling, heat a grill to medium-high heat or heat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Grill the tomatoes, turning occasionally, about 5 minutes total. If not grilling, simply cut your tomatoes in half and then quarters.
- Peel your cucumber and dice into smaller pieces. Save half for use as the garnish.
- Dice your bell pepper and save half as well to use as garnish.
- Place the tomatoes, half the pepper, half the cucumber, garlic, half the shallot, vinegar, and black pepper in a blender or food processor.
- Slowly add the olive oil and blend until combined and smooth.
- Strain through a medium-mesh sieve into a container (where you can store it to chill). If you have a high-powered blender, you probably do not need to do this step.
- Cover and chill for at least 2 hours or even over night.
- Chop finely the remaining veggies: cucumber, & pepper. Keep refrigerated. Julienne the fresh basil leaves right before serving.
- Adjust. As you serve the gazpacho, adjust with any extra salt and/or pepper for seasoning. Ladle into bowls or cups and top with the diced pepper, cucumber, and fresh basil. Serve with a piece of toasted sourdough bread (for dunking). Enjoy!
- Prep Time: 15
- Category: Soups
1 thought on “Gazpacho”
This gazpacho is SO delicious on a hot summer day!