Gazpacho is so refreshing! It’s like eating a freshly harvested garden, all the flavors of the fresh produce come together in perfect harmony and will make your taste buds dance and sing.
Gazpacho is a Spanish dish originating the Andalusia region of Spain. The chilled soup started out green in color but in the 19th century tomatoes were added and now red gazpacho is the most common.
My ingredients listed below are just to get you started. The bases of a good gazpacho is typically very ripe tomatoes, garlic, vinegar, some type of pepper, ie/ jalapeno or Anaheim, cucumber, olive oil, salt, and pepper. But feel free to get creative, I think next time I will add in some fresh herbs to play with the flavors!
Note: The bread might seem like a random addition but it adds a nice thickness to the soup and helps keep it from separating.
Authentic Spanish Gazpacho
- Prep Time: 10 min
- Chill Time: 1 hour
- Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Yield: 2–4 1x
Ingredients
Gazpacho:
- 6 large tomatoes, diced larged (very ripe, non-ripe tomatoes will not produce enough juice)
- 1 thick slice of stale white bread (or 2 thin slices)
- 1 small white onion
- 1/2 English cucumber – seeded
- 1/2 red bell pepper – seeded
- 1 Anaheim pepper – seeded
- 1 jalapeno – seeded for less heat
- 1 large clove of garlic
- 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Take the stale bread and place it in a shallow plate or dish. Add vinegar and allow the bread to soak it in.
- In a blender, puree the diced tomatoes, vinegar-soaked bread, chopped onion, cucumber, peppers and garlic. Turn blender on and slowly begin to add the olive oil. Blend until smooth. Taste and adjust salt and pepper to your liking.
- Press the mixture thru a sieve to remove any lumps or seeds. Cover and refrigerate 1-2 hours. Keep chilled until serving time.
- Optional cruncy crutons: Toast thick bread in the oven or toaster. Remove and drizzle on olive oil then take a clove of garlic and rub it on the warm toast. Sprinkle with extra fine sea salt to taste. cut into bite-sized cubes
Serving Suggestions:
Pour gazpacho into a low bowl or in a glass over ice. Drizzle a little olive oil and top with crunchy croutons and chopped veggies. Serve and enjoy this cold summer soup!
Keywords: gazpacho, tomatoes, jalapeno, cucumber, onion, Spanish
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