Few things are more refreshing on a hot summer night than Gazpacho, Spain’s brilliant and summery cold soup. You don’t have to heat a thing. All that’s required is a quick blitz in the blender with some crimson tomatoes and a few supporting players. Then, after a couple of hours of flavor-blending alchemy in the fridge, dinner is ready.
Where Does Gazpacho Come From?
In the hot, steaming summers of Spain, Gazpacho blooms in popularity as a way to cool off and enjoy soup without the hassle of heating it up first. Originally though, some of the first Gazpacho was made in its simplest tomato form during the Al-Andalus period. Its evolution took a long time since most of the ingredients are not native to Spain, including New World tomatoes, but after the “discovery” of the Americas, new types of produce opened avenues for experimentation. Andalusian Gazpacho is the type that most think of when they order this cold soup. It’s actually very similar to our Gazpacho recipe, which you’ll find below.
When you serve up this summery soup, think about setting the table with a loaf of fresh, locally-baked French baguette or olive-oil-rich Italian pane caserecchio, and a hunk of fresh cheese. The bread is perfect for dipping. Top the bread with a bit of cheese for an especially decadent sop!
You might also put a bottle of crisp rosé on the table, or a chilled red.
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Gazpacho
Description
Cool down on those hot summer days with a Gazpacho that uses farm-fresh produce.
Ingredients
- 3 lb ripe red tomatoes, preferably Roma or Italian plum
- 1 large cucumber, peeled and seeded, ¾ chunked and ¼ diced or sliced
- 1 medium red onion, chunked
- ½-inch-thick slice baguette or other white bread, crust removed
- 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 1½ tbsp sherry vinegar
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1½ tsp kosher salt
- Splash of tabasco or other hot pepper sauce
- Garnish options: Diced or sliced cucumber, Padrón peppers, tiny tomatoes of various colors, diced yellow bell pepper or green bell pepper, green olives, or Marcona almonds.
Instructions
- Cut the tomatoes in half and squeeze out their seeds and watery liquid.
- Toss the tomatoes in a blender and puree them.
- Add the chunked portions of the cucumber, and the onion, bread, oil, vinegar, garlic, salt, and tabasco, and puree again. If the mixture is not pureeing easily, add a tablespoon or 2 of water as necessary to get a soupy mixture with some body to it.
- Refrigerate the soup for at least 2 hours and up to overnight.
- Ladle the cold soup into bowls or glasses. Garnish as you wish, and serve.
Story by Cheryl Alters Jamison
Styling by Julia Platt Leonard
Photography by Tira Howard
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