Gazpacho is a Spanish cold summer soup made from raw vegetables, ground in a blender.
Traditionally, the basis of the classic gazpacho recipe is ripe juicy tomatoes and bread. It used to be a kind of “poor man’s dish” – after all, like most dishes in different cuisines of the world – because it was prepared from available products that were always at home in large quantities.
Today, there are many recipes-variations of this traditional Spanish dish – with avocados, cucumbers, and other additives.
Basically, gazpacho is prepared in the summer, and this soup is served very cold, pre-seasoned with spices, balsamic vinegar, and olive oil. To prepare gazpacho according to our recipe, in addition to tomatoes and additional spices, you will also need cucumbers and bell peppers – and we grind and mix it all using a hand or stationary blender.
Ingredients
1 kg of tomatoes
2 cucumbers
1 large bell pepper
3-4 cloves of garlic
green parsley, mint, or basil (optional)
2-4 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
2-4 tbsp. oil
1 slice of bread (optional)
salt, pepper to taste
greens or crackers to serve
Preparation
First, blanch the tomatoes. To do this, easily cut the skin of each tomato from the bottom crosswise. Dip tomatoes in boiling water for 1-2 minutes, then in cold water. After such manipulations, the skin of tomatoes is easily removed.
We also peel cucumbers and bell peppers. Cut all the vegetables into any shape.
Using a blender, chop tomatoes, cucumber, bell peppers. Squeeze the garlic through a garlic press, add the greens – parsley, mint, basil. Also, if desired, add a slice of bread (you can leave it there for 5 minutes to swell). You can, if you like spicy, add at this stage half a chili pepper or a little Tabasco sauce. Grind everything to a homogeneous mass.
Add salt, pepper to taste, and olive oil beat again with a blender. At this stage, you can also add a little lemon juice or sugar to taste. Especially if the tomatoes were not too ripe (especially in winter).
Before serving, put the gazpacho in the refrigerator for 2-3 hours to cool well.
It can be served in a “frozen plate” that has been pre-chilled in the freezer for 10 minutes.
Before serving, add balsamic vinegar to Spanish cold soup. Garnish with greens or a crispy piece of bread or crackers.
Bon appetit!
