Gazpacho is a cool soup made using finely chopped vegetables. Simple flavours are added like vinegar, black pepper and garlic. Use garlic sparingly, a small piece gives a great hum of flavour to the soup. It is great served at room temperature or slightly chilled. This is freshness at its best! Gazpacho originates from Spain with many variations that have evolved. Greek Gazpacho is also quite famous with added Mediterranean flavours like feta cheese, olives.
This is a healthy soup, with tomatoes and cucumber as the base. Some like it completely pureed and some like it chunky but the best way at least for me, is the soup blitzed till it is slightly pulsed but still has some texture. Save a few finely chopped veggies to add on top of your soup, that way you know what exactly you are tasting. Enjoy this super cool soup, read more about Gazpacho! This is Dish 3 part of the World Cuisine Series here on Food Of Interest.
- A small piece 75-100 Gm~ of seedless/deseeded cucumber
- 2 spring onions
- ½ clove of garlic
- 8-10 leaves of basil
- ¼ piece green bell pepper/capsicum
- ¼ piece red bell pepper/capsicum
- 4-5 pulpy tomatoes (250 Gm) or a can of organic plum tomatoes (400 Gm)
- 2 Tbsp extra virgin good olive oil
- ½ Tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1 Tsp freshly pounded black pepper or to taste
- 1 Tsp sugar
- Salt to taste
- Chop up cucumber, spring onions, garlic very finely, chop up green and red bell peppers also finely
- Keep all the chopped vegetables together. Add most of it to a blender, save a few for later to add on top
- Add olive oil and pulse till vegetables are slightly pureed
- Check and puree again, it should have a texture to it
- Add chopped tomatoes or the whole can of organic tomatoes and blitz till tomatoes are pureed
- To this add red wine vinegar
- Add pepper, salt and sugar
- Add chopped basil
- Blitz/Blend till well combined
- The soup is ready. Serve at room temperature or chilled slightly. Add leftover chopped veggies on top and serve with a grilled cheese or cheese toastie
Use regular vinegar instead of red wine vinegar if you do not have it
Use vegetables like celery if you want
Generally a small piece of chopped red onion is also added to the soup along with the other vegetables. But raw onion can be quite strong and pungent. Add it if you want
Use chopped parsley or mint if you want
Stepwise:
Chop up cucumber, spring onions, garlic very finely, chop up green and red bell peppers also finely
Keep all the chopped vegetables together. Add most of it to a blender, save a few for later to add on top
Add olive oil and pulse till vegetables are slightly pureed
Check and puree again, it should have a texture to it
Add chopped tomatoes or the whole can of organic tomatoes and blitz till tomatoes are pureed
To this add red wine vinegar
Add pepper, salt and sugar
Add chopped basil
Blitz/Blend till well combined
The soup is ready. Serve at room temperature or chilled slightly. Add leftover chopped veggies on top and serve with a grilled cheese or cheese toastie
