Gazpacho is a celebration of summer.
If you're not yet familiar with the dish, here it is in a nut shell: gazpacho is a cold soup that originated in the Andalucía region of Spain, and is typically made by blending fresh, raw vegetables and stale bread.
While this version foregoes the bread, it retains all the incredible flavor, combining the freshest produce with garlic, heat, acidity and lots of good olive oil. What you get is a dish that satisfies on the hottest of days when the thought of turning on your stove is out of the question.
From July until the time fresh tomatoes disappear from the farmer's market, I keep a batch of this soup in my fridge at all times. Why? Because it's creamy, tangy, requires 8 simple ingredients, takes 30 minutes or less to make, keeps in the fridge and travels well. What more could you ask for out of one simple dish?
Serve gazpacho as a perfect summer appetizer, or make it a meal, topped with avocado, diced cherry tomatoes, scallions, and a dollop of crème fraîche, paired with warm, crispy bread. This dish is proof that food does not require complexity to be great - it’s simply the sum of it's parts, so do not skimp on getting the best ingredients and I promise, you will not be disappointed.
Gazpacho
4 large in-season tomatoes (this dish is really best in season)
1 extra large cucumber, or 2 small
1 large sweet red or orange pepper
1 large jalapeño
2 large fresh garlic cloves
2 tbsp's of red wine vinegar
1 tsp sea salt, then add salt to taste
3 generous tbsp's of good quality E.V.O.O.
Optional: top with a dollop of sour cream, creme fraiche, or avocado
Start a pot on high heat and bring it up to boil. In the meantime, rinse your tomatoes. Using the tip of a knife, lightly cut an X into the flesh on the bottom of each tomato. Add tomatoes to the boiling water for 2-5 minutes, or just until the skin is peeling back. You don’t want to overcook them. Remove from the heat, drain and throw into an ice bath or simply run under very cold water. When cool enough to touch, starting from the bottom where you cut the X, peel the skin off each tomato and then drop into the bowl of your blender. Next, peel the skin off of the cucumber. Then cut it in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds using a small spoon. Cut the cucumber into half rounds and add to the blender.
Next, you can use one of two methods to prepare your garlic: remove the garlic cloves from the skin and crush using a garlic press, or SAFELY lay your chef’s knife flat on top of the garlic clove and hit it with the heel of your hand until the skin comes loose and the garlic clove is slightly smashed. Add to the blender.
Next cut your sweet pepper and jalapeño loosely into medium size pieces, removing the seeds from both. Add to the blender, and finally, add your salt and red wine vinegar. With all these ingredients added, start the blender and as they start to come together into a puree, begin pouring in your olive oil. Adding the olive oil while the blender is running lends to a more full, creamy soup. Once all the olive oil is added and the soup is a smooth consistency, taste and adjust the seasoning as necessary. I personally like a bit more salt, so add, blend and taste until it's where you want it. You can also add more vinegar for extra acidity and more olive oil for extra body. If you want to serve immediately you can blend in a few ice cubes to chill your soup. Otherwise, chill for an hour and then serve, or put in an airtight container and keep in the fridge for up to 5 days.
When serving, this soup comes alive with the texture of toppings. Crispy croutons, creamy additions, little sweet cherry tomatoes, a scoop of fresh guacamole. Or do it my way - with sliced avocado, chopped chives or scallions, freshly ground pepper, sea salt and another drizzle of that extra good olive oil.