Gazpacho (Salad Soup)
Submitted by llburke
Classic gazpacho, the chilled Spanish salad soup, with fresh tomatoes, cucumber, green pepper, olive oil and white wine vinegar. No cooking required, just blend and chill.
YIELD
4 servingsPREP
3 hrsCOOK
0 minREADY
3 hrsGazpacho is summer in a bowl. No stove, no heat, no sweat. Just ripe tomatoes, cool cucumber, green pepper, and olive oil marinated together for a few hours, then blended to your preferred texture and served ice-cold.
Bread torn into the base gives the soup body without heaviness, a trick straight from the Andalusian grandmothers who invented this dish centuries ago.
White wine vinegar and cold vegetable stock go in right before serving, keeping everything bright and snappy.
Garnish with garlic croutons, a sprig of watercress, or thin lime slices for a little extra flair.
Pro Tips
- Let the base marinate for several hours. The cucumber, garlic, bread, and olive oil need time to get acquainted. Rushing this step means a flatter-tasting soup.
- Control your texture. Like it chunky? Pulse briefly. Prefer it silky smooth? Let the blender run longer. There’s no wrong answer.
- Use the ripest tomatoes you can find. Gazpacho is a raw soup, so the quality of your produce is everything. Pale, mealy tomatoes will give you a pale, mealy gazpacho.
Ingredients
Directions
Crush garlic in bowl and add bread which has been torn into small pieces.
This helps give the soup consistency.
Add sliced cucumber, diced green pepper, water and olive oil. Allow this mixture to marinate for several hours.
Add cut-up tomatoes, onions, pimiento and salt to chilled mixture.
Blend in blender or food processor until the texture you prefer. Chill thoroughly.
Just before serving, mix in vinegar, cold stock and herbs.
For added color, flavor and texture, garnish with garlic croutons, watercress or lime slices.
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