Fresh Authentic Gazpacho!!
Tis the season for an abundance of fresh tomatoes. A big batch of Gazpacho is a great way to get creative with your summer tomatoes. A chilled cup full is an incredible crowd pleaser on a warm summer afternoon. It is really quick and simple to make. Cheers to your new summer obsession!
We love Ali with gimmesomeoven.com and of course she would be our go to for authentic gazpacho since she lives in Spain now. Her recipes are the best and this one will keep you coming back for more. This is an excerpt from her page so go take a look at the full recipe and many others.
Everything I’ve learned living in Spain about how to make the best authentic, delicious, fresh tomato gazpacho recipe — in just 15 minutes!
Ali with www.gimmesomeoven.com
Spanish Gazpacho Ingredients:
Gazpacho is the quintessential summer soup because all of the fresh ingredients are deliciously in season this time of year, and there’s no need to heat up your stove or oven! Just prep your ingredients on a cutting board. Then your blender or food processor will take it from there. To make this homemade gazpacho recipe, you will need:
Tomatoes: Roma tomatoes or what we call “branch tomatoes” here in Spain (medium, round, soft-skinned tomatoes on the vine) are standard for traditional gazpacho. But really, any ripe, juicy, fresh tomatoes will do. There is no need to peel your tomatoes for gazpacho, but I do recommend coring them (scoop out the white flesh and seeds).
Cucumber: 6-inch Persian or Kirby cucumbers are most often used in Spain, peeled and seeded. But I usually just toss in half of an English cucumber instead. Whichever works for you!
Green bell pepper: Some of my Spanish friends are firm believers that green bell peppers, specifically, are a must for authentic Spanish gazpacho. But I’d say that any color of bell pepper you have on hand will do. :)
Bread: Leftover white bread is the key to the texture of authentic gazpacho, helping to thicken it slightly and round out the flavors. Our friends here taught us to discard the crusts for optimal texture. Then to help the bread blend well, you can either:
blend up the gazpacho, then poke the slice of bread into the center of the soup and let it sit there for 10 minutes to soften before blending it into the soup, or…
just run it under the faucet and soak completely with water, ring it out completely with your hands, then add the bread to the soup ingredients and puree
Red onion: Just half of a small red onion, peeled.
Garlic: I use two small garlic cloves, or one large clove.
Olive oil: Many traditional gazpacho recipes are loaded with lots of olive oil. But nowadays in Spain, they often cut down the amount of oil to make the soup a bit healthier. This recipe just uses 3 tablespoons.
Sherry vinegar: Andalucía is known for its sherry. And of course, it’s sherry vinegar (vinagre de Jerez), which is always used to make gazpacho here in Spain. That said, though, if you can’t find sherry vinegar at your grocery store, you can sub in some red wine vinegar.
Ground cumin: One of our friends in Andalucía taught me the secret of adding cumin to your gazpacho, which is actually a popular ingredient in the south of Spain due to the region’s proximity to Morocco. I love the subtle, earthy note that it adds to this recipe.
Sea salt and black pepper: Essentials!
How To Make Gazpacho:
To make homemade gazpacho soup, simply:
Puree the soup: Combine all of your gazpacho ingredients in a blender or food processor, and puree for 1 minute or until the gazpacho reaches your desired consistency. (I love mine super-smooth.)
Chill: Transfer the soup to a sealed container and refrigerate for 4 hours or until completely chilled.
Serve: Then serve the soup nice and cold, garnished with your favorite toppings.