Cold Gazpacho

The Spanish summer classic, gazpacho, in its most stripped-down vegetable-only form. No bread, no olive oil, no cucumber: just ripe tomatoes, green pepper, onion, garlic, water, a splash of white wine, and lemon, blended smooth and chilled overnight in the fridge. The result is a clean, sharp, refreshing chilled soup that tastes like a garden in August in liquid form.

Use the ripest tomatoes you can find. This recipe lives or dies on tomato quality; mealy winter tomatoes will give you watery pink soup. Heirlooms or vine-ripened summer tomatoes are worth the trouble. Same with the garlic: three raw cloves carry serious heat, so use fresh, firm bulbs rather than anything sprouting or soft.

The overnight chill isn’t optional. It mellows the raw garlic and onion, lets the flavors marry, and gives the soup time to cold-steep into something deeper than the sum of its parts. Fresh-blended gazpacho tastes harsh; rested gazpacho tastes round.

Pro Tips

• Strain through a fine mesh sieve as directed for a velvety texture; skip the strain if you like it rustic.
• Use ice-cold water to start the chill faster.
• Adjust salt and lemon at the end after chilling; cold dulls flavors so what tasted seasoned warm needs more punch cold.
• Serve in chilled bowls or glasses to keep the soup cold to the last spoonful.

Variations

• Add 1 cucumber (peeled, seeded, chopped) to the blender for the more traditional Andalusian style.
• Stir in 2 tablespoons olive oil at the end for body and silkiness.
• Top with diced avocado, croutons, or a hard-boiled egg for substance.