It’s almost strange that this site has been up for over a year and I’ve yet to put on a gazpacho recipe. Gazpacho, for those that don’t know, is simply a cold vegetable soup that is mainly eaten in summertime. While there are plenty of origin stories and variations, the most well known is probably the Andalusian Gazpacho, from southern Spain.
Last year on a trip to Granada, Spain I learned how to make Salmorejo, which is a similar soup. However this gazpacho has a few more ingredients, and in my opinion is both more refreshing, and less filling.
How To Make An Authentic Andalusian Gazpacho
Some people prefer to leave out the crusty white bread, but I think this is a mistake. The bread soaks up so much liquid and makes the final dish so creamy. If you really don’t want to add it in, of course you don’t have to, but I do recommend chopping up half a baguette in tossing it into the bowl.
I like to peel my tomatoes for gazpacho as I find it lends to a creamier sauce as well. Simply cut an X into the bottom of the tomato and then pour over some boiling water. I just use my kettle. Then wait a couple minutes and the skin should peel right off. For this gazpacho recipe I use 10 medium tomatoes. Once peeled toss them in the bowl.
Other things that go in the bowl are: 5 Persian cucumbers peeled and chunked. 4 cloves of garlic, smashed. 1/2 of a bell pepper (I used green, but any color will work). 3 spring onions. 1/2 of a yellow onion. Salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste. And finally, I add in an avocado. Now, the avocado is not traditional so you can leave it out to keep the recipe authentic, but again, I add everything I can to make it as creamy as possible.
Next step, give everything a good massage. And I mean really get in there squeezing and pressing everything together. The bread should practically dissolve, along with some of the tomatoes and avocado.
Let the ingredients rest for a half hour or longer. This is an important step which allows the flavors to meld together.
Finally just add the contents of the bowl into your favorite blender and let it rip. You want to tip in some of the liquid that has pooled in the bottom of the bowl as well to help with the emulsification. Because my blender is small I end up adding ingredients in batches but never fully emptying the blender. This allows for an even and creamy consistency for the gazpacho the whole way through.
I pour the Andalusian gazpacho soup into a bowl along with some freshly toasted slices of baguette. For garnish I sprinkle on some chopped parsley along with some more chopped cucumber. And as usual, serve cold.
Andalusian Gazpacho
Equipment
- Blender
Ingredients
- 1/2 Baguette something crusty and dry
- 10 medium Tomatoes peeled and quartered
- 5 small Persian Cucumbers peeled and chopped
- 1 small Bell Pepper cored
- 4 cloves Garlic smashed
- 3 Spring Onion
- 1/2 Yellow Onion
- 3 tbsp Olive Oil more or less for desired consistency
- Salt to taste
- Black Pepper freshly cracked, to taste
- 1 Avocado optional. This makes it less authentic, but I quite enjoy the creaminess it adds.
Instructions
- Chop the bread, peel the tomatoes and cucumbers, and then add everything to a big bowl. Give everything a good massage with your bare hands for a few minutes, then let rest for a half hour.
- Blend. Serve Cold.
Notes
Lovely soup. Perfect for summertime