Recipe: Silky smooth gazpacho
Plus how to serve this cold, refreshing soup at your next barbecue
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I (Meredith) have eaten a lot of gazpacho in my adult life but only started making it last year. I was so intimidated by this classic Spanish dish, primarily because I don’t have every Spanish mother-in-law’s favorite kitchen tool: the Thermomix (in the US, engaged couples register for a KitchenAid mixer; In Spain, it’s this does-everything kitchen robot). Guess what? You don’t need it. All you need is a good, high-speed blender, a quick trip to the frutería (or your garden, if you’re lucky!), and a good quality olive oil in your pantry.
Gazpacho is so refreshing in the hot, sticky summer months. We make it at least once a week—even my kids love it. The recipe below is for what I would consider a traditional gazpacho Andaluz, with one small twist: the addition of carrot. The carrot gives the gazpacho a silky, smooth texture and adds a few more nutrients to the mix. Every Spanish cook has their own recipe, whether that includes a dash of vinegar, some sugar, breadcrumbs, or onion. There are also other variations: ajoblanco (a white soup made from garlic and almonds), gazpacho de remolacha (beet gazpacho), and gazpacho de fresa (strawberry gazpacho), to name a few.
You might be asking yourself: How do I serve it or make it part of a meal? Think of this as your salad, whether you like to eat it before your main dish or on the side. We often eat it as our starter or alongside grilled chicken and potatoes. It would also make a wonderful welcome cocktail: serve it in small glasses, and hand it to your guests as they arrive for your next dinner party or barbecue.
I’d love to know if you give this recipe a try!
Silky, smooth gazpacho
Yields: 4 servings
Cook time: 15 minutes, plus at least 3 hours for chilling
Ingredients:
1kg (just over 2lbs) ripe Roma tomatoes
1 cucumber
1 small carrot
1 clove of garlic
1/2 green bell pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
1/2 cup (108g) olive oil
Optional toppings: Diced cucumber, hard-boiled egg, cured Iberian ham
Instructions:
Halve one kilo of Roma tomatoes, and remove the stem from all of them.
Peel one cucumber and one small carrot and cut into a few pieces so they are about the size of the halved tomatoes. Add to the pitcher of your blender. Peel one clove of garlic, and slice in half lengthwise. If you see a green stem, remove it before adding both halves to the pitcher with the other vegetables. Remove the stem and seeds from the 1/2 green bell pepper and add to the pitcher, along with 1 1/2 teaspoons of sea salt.
Bend the vegetables and salt on high for about 90 seconds. Add 1/2 cup of olive oil slowly as you blend on high for an additional 90 seconds. You’ll notice that the color changes to a beautiful, bright orange.
Taste it. Does it needs more salt? If so, add some! Blend on high for another 90 seconds. The gazpacho should be very smooth, without any chunks, and should not be frothy on top. If it is, keep blending! I typically blend for about 5 minutes total, but this will depend on the type of blender you use.
At this point, Katie likes to use her food mill, but I don’t have one, so don’t worry if you don’t either.
Pour your gazpacho into a glass bowl (or leave it in the pitcher!), cover with plastic wrap, and place in the refrigerator to cool for at least 3 hours. It’s hard to wait, but all that time in the blender will make it hot. Gazpacho should be served cold and topped with some diced cucumber, hard-boiled egg, or cured Spanish jamón.