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Prep Time: 15 Minutes Cook Time: 0 Minutes |
Ready In: 15 Minutes Servings: 6 |
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The blender makes instant work of this cold Spanish soup. Gazpacho improves with age, so try to make it ahead of time whenever possible. And, although the olive oil is optional in this recipe, it adds a real dimension to the flavor and texture of the soup. Even if you leave it out of the soup, drizzle a tad on top at serving time. Ingredients:
2 lbs ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and coarsely chopped or 1 (28 ounce) can best-quality plum tomatoes, chopped |
1 medium sweet onion, coarsely chopped (such as vidalia or walla walla) |
1 large cucumber, peeled and coarsely chopped |
1/2 green bell pepper, coarsely chopped |
1/2 red bell pepper, coarsely chopped |
2 scallions, coarsely chopped |
3 garlic cloves |
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil |
3 tablespoons sherry wine vinegar or 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar |
1 -2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce |
1 teaspoon ground cumin |
1/2-1 cup chilled tomato juice |
salt & freshly ground black pepper, to taste |
croutons or chopped fresh herbs or sliced scallions or diced avocado |
Directions:
1. In a large bowl, stir together the tomatoes, onion, cucumber, bell peppers, scallions, and garlic. Working in 2-cup batches, whirl the mixture in a blender until finely chopped but not pureed. Return the mixture to the bowl and stir in the olive oil, vinegar, hot pepper sauce and cumin. Add enough of the cold tomato juice to make the gazpacho soupy but not too thin. Season generously with salt and black pepper.
2. Cover the bowl and refrigerate the soup until very cold, at least a couple of hours or up to 2 days. Stir the gazpacho and ladle it into bowls, or pour it at the table from a wide-mouth pitcher. Garnish with croutons, herbs, scallions, or diced avocado.
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