Gazpacho, a cold tomato based raw vegetable soup originating from Spain, is a perfect summertime soup. This simple uncooked soup is easy to prepare too.
You'll find different variations of Gazpacho all over Spain and Mexico and lots of different Gazpacho recipes out there. Most call for fresh peeled chopped tomatoes. But sadly, flavorful tomatoes are difficult to come by unless you have a vegetable garden of your own.
My favorite recipe for Gazpacho, from the Mexican Cooking for Dummies book, uses tomato juice instead of fresh tomatoes. Since the recipe is so simple, the quality of your ingredients is really important. Use the freshest vegetables, best olive oil, and bread you can find. You'll be glad you did.
You'll need a blender of food processor to make this recipe for Gazpacho soup.
This refreshing soup is delicious served with grilled French bread as a first course. For a hearty main course soup add 2-3 large grilled shrimp to each bowl.
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Gazpacho Soup Recipe
1 slice white bread, crusts removed
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
3 cups tomato juice, plus more to thin the soup to desired consistency
1 cucumber, peeled, seeded and diced
4 scallions, thinly sliced
1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
2 cloves garlic, peeled
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 jalapeno chiles, stemmed, seeded, and chopped
1 teaspoon sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Garnish: Sliced green onions and/or chopped avocado
Place the slice of bread on a plate. Sprinkle it with the vinegar and let it sit about 5 minutes, until it is moistened.
Combine the tomato juice, cucumber, scallions, and red pepper in a large bowl.
Place about one quarter of the vegetable mixture into a blender or food processor. Add the slice of bread, garlic, olive oil, jalapenos, sugar, salt and pepper. Puree the mixture until it is smooth.
Pour the puree back into the bowl of vegetables. Stir well. Add more tomato juice to thin the soup if desired. Taste the soup and adjust the seasonings as necessary.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place the bowl in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours to chill.
Serve cold. Garnish with scallion, and/or avocado if desired.
Note: To prepare the cucumber, peel it and then cut it in half lengthwise. Using a teaspoon, scrape out the seeds and discard them. Then chop into small pieces.
Yield: Makes 4 to 6 servings of Gazpacho soup
Source: Mexican Cooking For Dummies
Making Gazpacho is so much easier with a food processor. I love, love, love my Cuisinart Food Processor
