Barb's Best Gazpacho
Submitted by Mary Jane
Gazpacho done right: ripe tomatoes, cucumber, and peppers blended smooth, then topped with the same vegetables finely diced for crunch. A no-cook chilled soup with lime, Tabasco heat, and an optional vodka kick.
YIELD
6 servingsPREP
30 minCOOK
0 minREADY
4 hrsGood gazpacho lives or dies on two things: ripe summer tomatoes and texture. This one nails the texture by splitting the work in two. Half the vegetables get pureed and strained into a silky, pourable base, while the other half are finely diced and spooned over each bowl, so every spoonful has both smooth body and fresh crunch.
There’s no cooking at all, which keeps the flavors raw and vivid. Straining the puree presses out every drop of liquid and leaves the soup velvety rather than pulpy.
The seasoning is what separates it from plain blended tomatoes: red wine vinegar and fresh lime for tang, worcestershire for savory depth, and Tabasco plus cayenne for a slow, building heat. A splash of vodka is optional, leaning the whole thing toward a Bloody Mary.
Chill it at least four hours, ideally overnight. Cold is the point here, and the rest lets the flavors marry. Top with diced cucumber, peppers, and garlicky croutons to serve.
Pro Tips
- Use the ripest tomatoes you can find; out-of-season ones make a flat, watery soup.
- Strain the puree well, pressing with the back of a spoon, for the smoothest texture.
- Taste after chilling and re-season; cold dulls salt and acid, so it often wants another hit of vinegar or hot sauce.
Variations
- Skip the vodka for an alcohol-free, family-friendly bowl.
- Stir in diced avocado or a spoonful of crab for a richer starter.
- Swap the croutons for a drizzle of good olive oil and a few torn basil leaves.
Ingredients
Directions
Core the 5 medium tomatoes and coarsely chop them.
Whiz the garlic in a blender or food processor, add the tomatoes and purée until smooth.
Strain the purée into a large non-reactive bowl.
Coarsely chop 1 of the cucumbers, ½ of the onion, and ½ of the green and red bell peppers.
Add the chopped vegetables to the processor (if using a blender, add ½ cup of the tomato or vegetable juice as well).
Process until liquified; strain into the large bowl, pressing down with the back of a spoon to extract all liquid.
Add to the bowl the remaining juice, olive oil, red wine vinegar, vodka or vermouth if using, lime juice, worcestershire, Tabasco, cayenne pepper, celery salt and pepper.
Stir well.
Cover and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight.
Finely dice the Roma tomatoes, remaining ½ onion, ½ green and red peppers and 1 cucumber.
Add the finly diced celery.
Reserve, refrigerated in small mixing bowl.
To serve, ladle soup into chilled individual bowls.
Sprinkle with the chopped vegetables and croutons, if using.
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