Gazpacho Is The Best Spanish Soup For Summer!
You’ll love gazpacho, it’s a Spanish soup that’s just perfect for summer feasting! Made with raw, blended vegetables, this Spanish soup is served cold, making it incredibly healthy and refreshing on hot days. You’ll get more than a full serving of veggies without even trying 🍅❤️
I like to serve gazpacho as a starter to a summer barbecue or a light brunch. Its vibrant hues make for a stunning presentation, whether you ladle it into soup bowls or pour it into cocktail shooters. And it makes great leftovers to be eaten as a deliciously nutritious snack the rest of the week.
When, Where And What Is Gazpacho?
Gazpacho is a traditional Spanish soup from southern Spain. Some say this cold soup has ancient origins dating back to Greek and Roman times. There’s also a version of gazpacho dating back to Islamic Spain between the 8th and 13th centuries.
The original gazpacho recipe was made with bread, olive oil and garlic, no veggies included. The version we enjoy today, enriched with summer vegetables, surfaced in the 15th century with the arrival of tomatoes from the New World. It’s one of the earliest fusion foods blending old and new together.
Gazpacho Ingredients In The Modern Age
Once tomatoes were introduced, gazpacho was changed forever… and I’m glad for it! Now, with its showy vibrant red color, tomatoes tend to hog the spotlight in this Spanish soup. But to achieve the deliciously complex flavor of gazpacho, we can’t forget the old ingredients: bread, olive oil, garlic and also a little sherry vinegar.
Now, that we’ve got the traditional base, let’s cue the vegetables, starting with ripe, luscious tomatoes. Heirloom tomatoes are also a great option. I don’t use cherry or grape tomatoes in the soup because they just don’t have enough tomato meat for this dish, but they’re great for garnish, if you have them.
The other vegetables usually found in gazpacho are cucumbers, peppers and onions, and some also add fruit for a hint of sweetness. I opted for strawberries in my gazpacho, but you can choose other fruits such as melons or peaches.
I’ve come across some recipes that just used chopped up vegetables with tomato soup… that’s not authentic gazpacho! The traditional version is thick, made with mashed or blended tomatoes, bread and olive oil.
How To Make Gazpacho
Traditionally, bread, olive oil and garlic is mashed in a mortar and pestle to create a paste and then the vegetables and sherry are worked in. I love the idea of this, but I like how smooth the soup is when you make it in the blender… plus it’s easier and less messy. Besides, all the cool kids use the blender 😉
I skip the bread mashing and let the veggies do the heavy lifting for me. I roughly chop them, add them to a bowl, and sprinkle 1 ½ teaspoons of salt and toss them. Then, I add the cubed bread and let it sit for 15 minutes. The salt draws out moisture from the veggies, softening the bread in the process. And the bread isn’t just for flavor; it also helps thicken the soup and prevents it from separating. The soup should be thick with a smooth consistency, not at all watery.
While the veggies are doing their magic on the bread, I prep the garnish, finely chopping gazpacho veggies and making homemade garlic croutons (these are ridiculously easy to make).
After fifteen minutes, we’re ready for the blender. I add the veggies and bread mix to the blender along with the vinegar and minced garlic. If all the veggies don’t fit into the blender, no worries. Fit in as many as you can and then start blending on low, the volume will reduce and you’ll be able to add the rest of the veggies. I continue to blend until smooth, slowly increasing the speed on the blender.
Once veggies are fully blended, I drizzle in the olive oil. While you can use up to a half cup of olive oil, I prefer a bit less to reduce the calorie count. After blending, I strain the soup for an extra smooth consistency. While you can enjoy it immediately, it tastes even better after letting the flavors meld overnight.
Finishing Touches
Pour the soup into a bowl or cocktail shooter and top with the finely chopped veggies, homemade croutons, a drizzle of olive oil and a dusting of cracked black pepper. Oh, I want some now but it’s 10pm and I’m saving my last portion for lunch tomorrow. This gazpacho keeps well in the fridge for up to a week. Avoid freezing it, as the emulsion will break, altering its texture and flavor. ¡Buen provecho!
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Gazpacho Is The Best Spanish Soup For Summer!
- Prep Time: 30
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 8 1x
- Category: soup
- Cuisine: spanish
Description
You’ll love gazpacho, it’s a Spanish soup that’s just perfect for summer feasting! Made with raw, blended vegetables, this Spanish soup is served cold, making it incredibly healthy and refreshing on hot days. You’ll get more than a full serving of veggies without even trying.
Ingredients
Soup:
3 large ripe tomatoes
1 ½ hothouse cucumbers
3/4 bell pepper
3/4 lb strawberries
½ red onion
¼ cup olive oil
2 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
3 slices white bread, such as sourdough or Italian, cubed, crusts removed
1 – 2 teaspoons salt
Black Pepper
Garnish:
1 cup cherry tomatoes
1/2 hothouse cucumber
1/4 red bell pepper
1/4 red onion
3 slices white bread, such as sourdough or Italian, cubed, crusts removed
3–4 tablespoons olive oil
2 pinches of salt
Instructions
Prep:
- Mince the garlic cloves and place them in a small bowl with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and a pinch of salt. Let it sit while you move onto the next ingredients.
- Peel and seed the cucumber and roughly chop.
- Roughly chop the tomatoes, onion and red bell pepper.
- Add the chopped vegetables to a bowl and toss with 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt. Fold in the bread and let sit for 15 minutes.
Prep Garnish:
- Peel and seed the cucumber and finely chop the vegetables for garnish, toss with a pinch of salt and set aside.
- Strain the olive oil that’s been sitting with the garlic and save it to add to the blender later.
- Toss the bread crumbs with the strained olive oil and toast in a toaster oven or air fryer until they are golden and set aside.
Blend:
- Place the veggies in the blender. Don’t worry if all the veggies don’t fit, just fit as many as you can.
- Add the sherry vinegar and minced garlic that you set aside and start blending on low. Once the vegetables are roughly blended, you can add the rest of the vegetables that didn’t fit in originally.
- Continue blending until smooth, slowly increasing the speed on the blender.
- Once it’s well blended, slowly drizzle in a quarter cup of olive oil. Taste and adjust the salt, if necessary.
- Strain the gazpacho through a sieve to achieve a smooth consistency. Place in a glass or plastic container and refrigerate overnight.
To Serve:
- When you’re ready to serve, pour into a bowl or cocktail shooter and garnish with the finely chopped veggies, homemade croutons, a drizzle of olive oil and a dusting of cracked black pepper.
Notes
This gazpacho keeps well in the fridge for up to a week. Avoid freezing it, as the emulsion will break, altering its texture and flavor.
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