Spanish Gazpacho
Have you ever had an ice cold soup for dinner? Well, take my word, in the hot summer months it’s so deliciously refreshing! I had almost forgotten about this wonderful dish when the summer heat made me question if I really wanted to cook dinner or just sip something nourishing but cold, …. very cold, if possible. That’s when I thought of the excellent gazpacho I enjoyed in Andalusia, a southern Spanish region, when the outside temperatures surpassed my heat tolerance level. I guess those temperatures are the reason why Andalusia became the home for this tasty summer soup.
You will need:
- a blender
Ingredients:
For the blender:
- 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic, sliced
- 5 lb (1150 g) ripe heirloom tomatoes, cored
- 1 green bell pepper, cored, seeded
- 5 lb (700 g) cucumbers, peeled
- 1 cup (160 g) cooked chickpeas
- ¼ medium-size red onion, root part removed
- ¼ cup (60 ml) extra virgin olive oil
- 1 ½ tsp Celtic sea salt
- 2 Tbsp sherry vinegar
- ½ tsp freshly cracked black pepper
- ¾ tsp ground cumin
- ½ jalapeño pepper, cored, seeded (optional)
Garnish Ideas (optional):
- a swirl of extra virgin olive oil
- sliced cherry heirloom tomatoes
- fresh basil leaves
- thyme sprigs and leaves
- cracked black pepper
- crushed red pepper
- cucumber slices
- jalapeño slices
- chives
Preparation:
Preheat a small pan with 1 Tbsp olive oil over medium heat. Add sliced garlic and sauté for about 2 minutes until fragrant and light golden.
Transfer sautéed garlic with remaining olive oil to the blender.
Roughly chop tomatoes, bell pepper, and cucumbers. The point of chopping is to fit everything into the bowl of your blender. If it still doesn’t, just work in batches.
Place the remaining ingredients into the bowl of your blender and process at highest setting for about 2 minutes or until creamy.
Transfer the gazpacho to a large bowl and chill covered in the fridge for a few hours or overnight.
Stir well and transfer to individual serving dishes.
To serve in a glass, you could add some ice, a reusable straw, and a few herbs for garnish. To serve in a bowl, you can go wild and use your imagination for garnish. Either way, enjoy!
Notes:
- For a sweeter touch, you can swap the green- for a red bell pepper.
- Gazpacho also makes a delicious to-go drink. Use your reusable to-go cup and -straw, omit the garnish, and enjoy!
- Gazpacho keeps well in the fridge for 2-3 days.
