Gazpacho (Arabic for "soaked bread") is a cold soup typical of Spanish cuisine made with bread and tomatoes. It is a refreshing and tasty dish perfect for the heat of summer, which is also the season of tomatoes. In addition to the traditional gazpacho, it is possible to experiment with other variations, including the green one (which requires the use of tomatillos tomatoes). You could also make changes to the original recipe to give it an exotic touch.
Ingrediants
Traditional Gazpacho
Makes 6 bowls
- 2 cups stale bread (from the day before) without the crust, cut into cubes
- 2 cloves of garlic
- Coarse sea salt and ground pepper
- 1 kg of ripe seedless beefsteak tomatoes
- A 10 cm piece of cucumber
- 1 slice of green pepper about 3 cm thick
- 3 teaspoons (15 ml) of red wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon (5 ml) of sherry vinegar
- 1 cup (250 ml) of extra virgin olive oil divided into 2 equal portions, plus an additional dose to pour over the gazpacho
- 1 cup (250 ml) of cold water
- 1 cup of shredded rustic bread
Gazpacho Green
Doses for 6 bowls
- 60 ml of white wine vinegar
- 3 teaspoons (15 ml) of fresh lime juice
- 350 ml of white Greek yogurt
- 120 ml of olive oil, plus an additional dose to pour over the gazpacho
- 115 g of ciabatta or rustic bread without zest
- 1 medium cucumber cut lengthwise and without seeds
- 1 coarsely chopped green pepper
- 4 large tomatillo tomatoes peeled and cut into 4 parts
- 4 shallots cut into 3 cm pieces
- 2 chopped seedless jalapeños
- 2 finely grated cloves of garlic
- 4 g of coarse salt, plus an additional amount to further flavor the gazpacho
- Spicy Hungarian paprika for serving gazpacho
Gazpacho with Watermelon, Tomato and Feta
Doses for 6 bowls
- 1 clove of garlic
- 1, 5 kg of watermelon without peel and seeds cut into large pieces
- 2 ripe tomatoes without cores and cut into wedges
- 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of lemon juice
- Salt and black pepper
- 115 g of crumbled feta cheese
- 60 ml of olive oil
- 15 g basil or chopped mint for garnish
Steps
Method 1 of 3: Make a Traditional Gazpacho
Step 1. Prepare everything you need:
:
- 2 cups of stale bread (from the day before) without zest, cut into cubes;
- 2 cloves of garlic;
- Coarse sea salt and ground pepper;
- 1 kg of ripe seedless beefsteak tomatoes;
- A 10 cm piece of cucumber;
- 1 slice of green pepper about 3 cm thick;
- 3 teaspoons (15 ml) of red wine vinegar;
- 1 teaspoon (5 ml) of sherry vinegar;
- 1 cup (250 ml) of extra virgin olive oil divided into 2 equal portions, plus an additional dose to pour over the gazpacho;
- 1 cup (250 ml) of cold water;
- 1 cup of shredded rustic bread.
Step 2. Place the stale bread in a bowl and cover it with cold water to soak it
- Leave it soaked for 15 minutes;
- It is necessary to use stale bread for this recipe;
- Since fresh bread is rather soft, it can become excessively mushy.
Step 3. Put 2 cloves of garlic in a small saucepan and cover them with water
- Bring the water to a boil;
- Cook the garlic for 3 minutes;
- Take it off the heat and drain it.
Step 4. Blend the ingredients
Put the garlic, bread, salt, tomatoes, cucumber, pepper and various types of vinegar in the blender jug. Use a powerful one to perform the procedure.
- To start, put the garlic in the blender jug.
- Squeeze the bread to remove excess liquid, then place it in the jug with the garlic.
- Add 2 teaspoons of salt, tomatoes, cucumber, pepper and various types of vinegar.
Step 5. Blend the ingredients until smooth
The soup must have a very homogeneous consistency.
- Leaving the blender on, add 120ml of olive oil by pouring a drizzle steadily. Blend until the mixture is emulsified.
- Incorporate the cold water by blending it with the other ingredients, then season with salt and pepper.
- Put the soup in the fridge for at least 3 hours or overnight.
Step 6. Prepare the croutons
To start, heat 120ml of olive oil in a skillet over medium heat.
- The oil should become hot, but not steaming.
- Place 1 cup of shredded rustic bread in the pan and fry it. Stir it often until crisp and golden.
- Transfer the croutons to a plate lined with absorbent paper with the help of a slotted spoon.
- Season the croutons with salt and pepper.
Step 7. Pour the soup into cold bowls
Gazpacho is traditionally served this way.
- Pour a drizzle of olive oil into each bowl of soup.
- Garnish the soup with 2 or 3 croutons.
- This recipe yields about 6 servings.
Method 2 of 3: Prepare a Green Gazpacho
Step 1. Prepare everything you need
You will need:
- 60 ml of white wine vinegar;
- 3 teaspoons (15 ml) of fresh lime juice;
- 350 ml of white Greek yogurt;
- 120 ml of olive oil, plus an additional dose to pour on the gazpacho;
- 115 g of ciabatta or rustic bread without zest;
- 1 medium cucumber cut lengthwise and without seeds;
- 1 coarsely chopped green pepper;
- 4 large tomatillo tomatoes without peel and cut into 4 parts;
- 4 shallots cut into 3 cm pieces;
- 2 chopped seedless jalapeños;
- 2 finely grated cloves of garlic;
- 4 g of coarse salt, plus an additional amount to further flavor the gazpacho;
- Spicy Hungarian paprika for serving gazpacho.
Step 2. Prepare the soup base
First you need to mix some ingredients and then let them cool in the fridge before blending them.
- To start, whisk 60ml of white wine vinegar, 3 teaspoons of lime juice, 250ml of Greek yogurt, and 120ml of olive oil in a bowl until smooth.
- Add 115g ciabatta, 1 medium cucumber, 1 green pepper, 4 large tomatillo tomatoes, 4 shallots, 2 jalapeños and 4g salt to the yogurt mix.
- Stir the ingredients to coat them. Make sure you coat the bread evenly so that it becomes very tasty.
- Cover the mixture and refrigerate it for at least 4 hours or overnight.
Step 3. Blend the bread and vegetables
Try to use a high-powered blender.
- Gradually add the ingredients and blend them until you get a very homogeneous base.
- Pour the soup into a large bowl.
- Salt rule.
Step 4. Prepare the soup topping
You will need the remaining yogurt for this.
- Whisk the remaining Greek yogurt with a whisk.
- Dilute the yogurt with cold water. Add one tablespoon at a time until you get a consistency similar to that of liquid cream.
- Pour the gazpacho into cold soup bowls with the help of a ladle.
- Pour some diluted yogurt and a drizzle of olive oil over each bowl.
- Sprinkle a pinch of Hungarian spicy paprika on each bowl to add extra flavor to the gazpacho (use as much as you like).
- This soup can be made a day in advance. Cover it, keep it in the fridge and mix it well before serving.
Method 3 of 3: Make a Watermelon, Tomato, and Feta Cheese Gazpacho (Non Traditional Recipe)
Step 1. Try making a creative, non-traditional version of gazpacho
This recipe is very interesting and requires the use of unusual ingredients.
- There are several particular and original versions of this classic cold soup.
- Many of these variations involve using different types of fruit and vegetables to make the base of the soup.
- However, the preparation technique is similar to the original one.
- To try a creative variation of gazpacho, food journalist Mark Bitman suggests using watermelon and tomato.
Step 2. Prepare all the ingredients
You will need:
- 1 clove of garlic;
- About 1.5 kg of watermelon stripped of rind and seeds, cut into large pieces;
- 2 ripe tomatoes without core and cut into wedges;
- 2 tablespoons of lemon juice;
- Salt and black pepper;
- 115 g of crumbled feta cheese;
- 60 ml of olive oil;
- 15 g basil or chopped mint for garnish.
Step 3. Blend the ingredients
You can blend them until smooth or let the mixture maintain a grainy texture - the choice is yours.
- First put the garlic clove in the jug and operate the pulse blender several times in order to chop it up;
- Add 1.5 kg of chopped watermelon, 2 chopped ripe tomatoes, 2 tablespoons of lemon juice and a pinch of salt and pepper.
- Blend until smooth or grainy. At this time you can add some ice cubes to keep the blender running.
- Let the mixture cool for a few hours.
Step 4. Taste the gazpacho
The ideal would be that the various aromas blend together creating a delicate balance.
- You can add more salt or pepper if the soup needs to be seasoned further.
- You can also add more lemon juice to intensify the sour notes of the dish.
- In any case, remember that you will also need to add feta cheese, which has a salty taste.
Step 5. Serve the gazpacho
Spread the soup between 4 cold bowls.
- Garnish each bowl with a handful of feta.
- Pour a drizzle of olive oil over the soup.
- Finally add basil or chopped mint.
- Use peaches in place of watermelon or tomato to create another interesting take on the classic recipe.
