Gazpacho
Time: 15-30 minutes to prepare; I prefer to prepare this a day or two ahead of serving so flavors can meld.
Serves: 6 (I typically make 2-3 batches at a time for a party and fill up a punch bowl).
Inspired by: My mom made this when I was growing up. This is very similar to her original recipe. I’ve had many different versions of gazpacho over the years and love them all. If you have access to really flavorful tomatoes, this is fabulous.
Ingredients:
- 1 firm medium cucumber (2-3 cups chopped). I prefer English or Persian cucumbers so I can leave the skin on.
- 6-8 medium to large ripe, red tomatoes, quartered with white cores removed (this recipe is all about the tomatoes so pick really yummy ones!). I leave the skins on.
- 1-2 large garlic cloves, crushed
- 2-4 teaspoons chili powder
- 1½ teaspoons salt
- 1-2 tablespoons Tobasco
- 1 small piece fresh Jalapeño (optional for extra heat)
- ¼ Bermuda or other sweet, white onion cut into a few pieces (optional – I skip this because I’m not a fan of raw onion)
- ¼ – ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 -3 cups organic tomato puree – this is optional, but boosts the flavor and red color
- Optional garnishes: garlic croutons, blue corn chips, chopped cucumbers, parsley, cilantro, green onions
Preparation:
- Chop the cucumber into large chunks and pulse in the food processor. I prefer keeping the cucumber a bit chunky and crispy instead of turning it into white puree or foam. I think it improves the texture and color. White puree can make red soup turn pink. Remove and put into a separate bowl.
- Use food processor on pulse mode again to combine the rest of the ingredients. You can stop pulsing when it is still a bit chunky or you can blend it smooth. I prefer it a little bit chunky. It’s best to do this in batches if your food processor isn’t that large.
- Taste, and if needed, add additional salt, chili powder, Tobasco or Jalapeño to your preference.
- Pour into large bowl and hand mix in the chopped cucumber.
- Refrigerate to chill and blend the flavors.
- Serve at room temperature or just slightly chilled.
- You can garnish with chopped parsley, spring onions, cilantro, or with something crunchy such as blue chips or croutons.