Gazpacho, a cold tomato soup with raw vegetables and soaked bread is a typical Andalusian recipe from southern Spain. It requires no cooking and is a refreshing, vitamin-packed dish rich in minerals, perfect for hot summer days.
I’ll reveal two tricks for a successful gazpacho, the cold tomato soup. The first is to keep the tomato’s red color: just cut it into pieces, sprinkle with salt and let it rest for 30 minutes before blending. The second trick avoids the cucumber’s bitter aftertaste: slice it and place it in a colander sprinkled with salt, letting its bitter water drain for 30 minutes. If you enjoy Spanish cooking and want to stay on theme, also try the tortilla de patatas (potato omelette) or the empanada gallega with vegetables and tuna.
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Very inexpensive
- Rest time: 30 Minutes
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 4 servings
- Cooking methods: No-cook
- Cuisine: Spanish
Ingredients
- 21 oz tomatoes, ripe, fresh
- 4 oz red bell pepper
- 4 oz green bell pepper (or yellow)
- 2 oz white onion
- 4 oz cucumber
- 1 1/2 clove fresh garlic (without the central green shoot)
- 2 oz stale bread
- 3.5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 4 tbsp white wine vinegar
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tsp fine salt
- 1 tsp paprika (sweet or hot, to taste)
- 4 ice cubes
Preparation
1 – Start by preparing the cucumber by peeling the skin. To remove the bitter aftertaste, slice it and place it in a colander, sprinkle with salt and let its water drain.
2 – Meanwhile wash the tomatoes well and cut them into pieces, then put them in a bowl sprinkled with salt and let them rest for about 30 minutes. In the meantime, thoroughly wash the other vegetables and remove the white inner parts of the peppers.
3 – After the resting time, add the drained and rinsed cucumbers to the tomatoes. Cut the peppers, the onion and the stale bread into pieces. In a bowl combine the vegetables with the bread and add the lemon juice, salt, oil, vinegar, sweet paprika and mix well.
4 – At this point put all the ingredients into a blender, add the ice cubes and blend for at least 1 minute, until the mixture becomes smooth and homogeneous. If it seems not creamy enough, add 2 more ice cubes and blend.
5 – Taste and customize this delicious dish, add a bit more salt if needed, or another tablespoon of vinegar if you like bolder flavors. Keep the gazpacho in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour before serving in a bowl with diced fresh vegetables and a few ice cubes.
