Spain | Soups & Stews | Cucumbers | Tomatoes | Summer

Gazpacho

(Spanish chilled tomato-cucumber soup)

Yield: 4-6 servings


INGREDIENTS PREP AMOUNT
Cucumbers peeled, seeded, diced 2 each
Bell pepper seeded, chopped 1 each
Onion chopped 1 each
Garlic crushed 2-3 cloves
 
Tomatoes peeled, seeded, diced 1 1/2 to 2 lbs
 
Water or tomato juice 1 cup
Red wine or sherry vinegar 1/4 cup
Breadcrumbs 1/2 to 1 cup
Olive oil 1/3 cup
Salt & pepper to taste

METHOD

Basic Steps:  Puree → Strain → Mix → Chill
  1. Puree the cucumbers, pepper, onion and garlic till smooth in a food processor or a blender. Puree in batches if necessary. Strain through a sieve into a large bowl.
  2. Puree the tomatoes. Strain into the bowl with the cucumber-pepper puree.
  3. Whisk in the water or tomato juice, breadcrumbs and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.
  4. Chill for at least one or two hours before serving in a large bowl with desired garnishes.

VARIATIONS

  • There are hundreds of variations of gazpacho. Red gazpachos use tomatoes for a base. Green gazpacho eliminates the tomato and adds minced herbs such a basil, mint or parsley. White gazpachos have neither tomatoes nor herbs, but are thickened with ground almonds or pine nuts and sometimes grapes. A famous white version, known as ajo blanco, contains ground almonds, garlic, breadcrumbs, vinegar, olive oil and salt.
  • For garnish, reserve some of the cucumber, onion and pepper. Finely chop them and serve, in separate bowls for guests to garnish the soup as they please. Croutons, chopped eggs and diced ham can also be used as garnishes.
  • Leave the cucumber-pepper mix chunky if you prefer and eliminate the straining step.  The tomatoes, however, should be strained to remove all seeds.
  • Stir in ice cubes just before serving to keep the soup well chilled.
  • Stir in poached shrimp, lobster, scallops or crab to make seafood gazpacho.

NOTES

  • Gazpacho, the famous soup from the Andalusia region of southern Spain, is an amazingly refreshing foil to a hot summer day. This drinkable salad has been around since Roman times and originally consisted of just bread, garlic, oil and water and seasoned with vinegar or verjus. It was a poor man's food. The discovery of the New World brought the addition of tomatoes and peppers.
  • Andalusian peasants traditionally pounded the ingredients in mortar until smooth and then held the soup in clay bowls to be ladled out at leisure throughout the day. Today modern Spaniards use a blender.
  • Some consider gazpacho to be at its best after sitting for 3-4 days.