Enjoy the last breath of summer with our classic gazpacho recipe. But wait, what exactly is gazpacho? This pretty dish is a staple of Spanish cuisine, particularly in the southern region of Andalusia. It even has ancient roots, as it dates all the way back to Roman times! Gazpacho is a refreshing soup comprised of blended vegetables and served chilled. It's the perfect vehicle for your garden fresh tomatoes, bell peppers, herbs, and cucumbers. Read on for our favorite gazpacho recipe plus some tips for inventive garnishes for this classic. Bottoms up!
Before we begin, make sure to assemble the necessary kitchen items and ingredients for this recipe preparation.
What You'll Need
- cutting board
- Chef's knife
- aluminum foil
- fine mesh strainer
- blender or food processor
- measuring spoons
- measuring cups
- large mixing bowl
- basting brush
- toaster or toaster oven
- garlic press
- fruit & veggie wash
- vegetable peeler
- spatula
Ingredients
- 1 medium cucumber
- 1 red pepper
- 1 green pepper
- 2 1/2 pounds of tomatoes (garden fresh is best), about 5 cups
- 3 cloves fresh garlic
- 1 small red onion
- 2 tbsp red wine vinegar or sherry vinegar
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 2 teaspoons pink salt
- 2 teaspoons black pepper
- 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes (more for more heat)
- a few slices of stale white bread
- 1 tablespoon garlic confit olive oil
- handful of fresh basil
Now that we have all that we need, it's time to cultivate a taste of Spain. For optimum taste, please allow overnight marinating time for this recipe for the flavors to mingle.
Instructions
Step #1: Prep Step
Begin by washing all produce with fruit and veggie wash. Next, remove vines from tomatoes and discard. Carefully peel and seed cucumber. Then, remove stem and seed from the bell peppers. Smash and peel garlic cloves. Peel red onion.
Step #2: Pulse Power
Add cucumber, onion, peppers, and garlic to blender or food processor. Pulse to chop the veggies, occasionally scraping the side of the container so everything gets properly processed. Be sure to not use the puree setting, as some chunky texture is preferred. Place mixture into large bowl.
Step #3: Terrific Tomatoes
And now to introduce the true star of the show, end of summer, sweet garden tomatoes. Place tomatoes into the food processor; there's no need to rinse between this step and the last. Puree until the consistency is smooth. Add to bowl with the other vegetable mixture. Pro tip: for extra silken tomatoes, pass through the fine mesh strainer before adding to bowl. This extra step is not necessary as it is based on texture preference.
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Step #4: Spice Up Your Life
In the same large bowl, mix in traditional olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper, cumin, red pepper flakes. Stir into blended vegetables, cover with foil, and let sit overnight in refrigerator.
Step #5: Toast Time
Immediately before serving, brush garlic confit olive oil onto stale pieces of bread. Then, toast until golden brown in a toaster oven.
Step #6: Great Garnish
Once ready to serve, pour chilled soup into small bowls or clear glasses (like stemless wine glasses). Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Carefully chiffonade some fresh basil, and add on top to adorn. Serve with garlicky toast for ultimate enjoyment.
Variations
While we love the classic garnish interpretation for gazpacho, we are pumped to include some more interesting approaches.
- For some extra heft, we recommend adding finely chopped cucumbers to the top of the soup; not only do they add some additional texture, but they provide a refreshing and crisp first bite.
- Alternatively, homemade croutons would be a fun option. Or if you're in a rush, store-bought croutons would work too.
- For a more substantial traditional adornment, consider diced onion, tomatoes, and green peppers to top gazpacho.
- A dollop Greek yogurt would add a nice tang to the soup, and provide a pretty color contrast especially when paired with fresh herbs or chopped cucumber.
- We also love the addition of cubed avocado and roasted corn as a garnish. This offers a more Latin American take on the classic Spanish gazpacho.
- Another interesting addition could be shrimp. This presentation would be especially pleasing as a cocktail party appetizer.
Whatever you do, play around with your favorite flavors and textures until you have a winning combination, and enjoy our amazing and easy gazpacho recipe.