As mentioned in my previous minty melon gazpacho recipe post, gazpacho is a Spanish soup served cold during summer. This variation is slightly less sweet than the minty melon version, but it's the traditional one. I'm sharing this more traditional version of gazpacho to sneak in one last summer recipe before fall arrives!
Utensils:
Blender (with pureeing function if possible)
Large spoon for stirring
Cutting board
Chef’s knife
Peeler
Ingredients:
4 – 5 medium-sized tomatoes
4 – 5 small sweet peppers (colors available in the United States typically range from yellow, red, to orange and are available in small packages of six to eight sweet peppers)
½ of a medium-sized white onion, chopped (quantity depends on preference)
1 clove of garlic
1 cucumber
½ cup of extra virgin olive oil (heavy)
Splash of white wine vinegar (no more than a tablespoon or so)
Salt and pepper to taste
Steps:
1. Wash and dry all the vegetables.
2. Cut the tomatoes into quarters, removing the hard, middle part/stem. The recipe does not require removing the skin of the tomatoes unless desired.
3. Dice the sweet peppers, onion, and garlic, and set them aside.
4. Peel the skin off the cucumber using the peeler, and set aside the peeled cucumber momentarily.
5. Place the tomatoes, a few pieces at a time, into the blender and begin blending. Add a few pieces at a time to ensure the blender processes all vegetables well before adding the rest of the ingredients (I tend to use the puree function on the blender for this step).
6. When the tomatoes are mostly blended, slowly add the diced sweet pepper, onion, garlic, and cucumber, and blend.
7. Next, slowly add the olive oil, white wine vinegar, salt, and pepper, and continue blending.
8. When all ingredients have been added and blended, the texture should be smooth yet thick. It should also have an orange/red color. If the mixture is too thick for your taste, add a bit of water at your discretion. If the mixture tastes too much like olive oil or vinegar, add a few more tomato slices. The only ingredient that you should be especially careful with is the white wine vinegar. The more practice, the better results!
9. Store in refrigerator, and serve cold.
Suggested toppings: croutons, shredded cheese, diced ham, diced cucumber, shredded hard-boiled egg, salt and pepper, etc.
Serves: two people
Season of consumption: Summer
© 2016 Melanie Glover. All rights reserved.