Gazpacho Andaluz from Spain

This is that famous chilled tomato soup from the South of Spain. And nothing says summer like a gazpacho. So here goes:

Ingredients & Preparation

As someone said: “seek out good ingredients to make this worth your while. Anaemic midwinter tomatoes or crunchy peppers just won’t cut the mustard when they’re the stars of the show.” Ripe and tasty vegetables are your friend.

Wet the bread

• 1–2x Slices of Bread — remove the crust, and let the bread sit in a bowl of water for a bit, then drain the water from the bowl and squeeze as much water as you can out of the bread

Prep your veggies

• 6x Tomatoes — make sure they’re very ripe — cut them in quarters, remove the stems and the white core that’s in the center, throw them in a bowl and season with salt and olive oil
• 2x Cucumbers — peel them, cut them in half, and remove the seeds
• 1x Bell Pepper — red or green, some do half and half — remove the core, the seeds, that white stuff you don’t want to eat
• 1x White Onion — cut it in quarters
• 4x Garlic Cloves — remove the sprout / germ that’s in the center of each clove (it’s unpleasantly bitter)
• 12x Basil Leaves — (optional) not all recipes have this

Blend it all

This is the easy part: you’re going to throw your wet bread and veggies in a blender or food processor and get them as liquid as possible. Some people add water at this stage, but you risk diluting the flavors.

Give it a kick

And this is the tricky part. Gazpacho is refreshing summer dish, and all my favorite ones had a nice kick. On top of the garlic and onion, you can add the following flavors to taste. Add progressively and taste often to find the right balance.

• Spicy — jalapeno, or other. I used the Harissa I had at hand.
• Sour — 1/2 tbsp of vinegar, preferably red wine vinegar. I used red apple vinegar.
• Olive Oil
• Salt

Let it Chill

Your gazpacho needs to chill in the fridge for 3–4 hours (and can be kept there for up to 1 week). Don’t put it in the freezer. Don’t add ice to the mix. Just let it chill.

Enjoy!

A good gazpacho won’t last long, so get ready to enjoy some ripe, summery flavors!

Serve it in a bowl with a drizzle of your best olive oil, and a slice of bread.

You can have your gazpacho as an appetizer, after your main course (the Spanish way), or a small standalone dish.