Classic Gazpacho - Seasonal Recipe

Classic Gazpacho

🌍 Seasonal, Summer Difficulty: ●●●○○

Gazpacho predates the tomato in Andalusia — the original Roman-era version was simply bread, olive oil, vinegar, and water; tomatoes arrived from the Americas in the 16th century and transformed the dish into what it is today.

Ingredients

• 1 kg (900g (2 lbs)) very ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped
• 1 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded, roughly chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded, roughly chopped
• 1 small red onion, roughly chopped
• 2 cloves garlic
• 80ml (⅓ cup) extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 tbsp sherry vinegar
• 100g (98g (3.5 oz)) day-old crusty bread, crusts removed, soaked in water and squeezed
• 1 tsp salt
• Cold water to adjust consistency

Method

1. Combining — Combine tomatoes, cucumber, pepper, onion, garlic, and soaked bread in a large bowl. Let sit 15–20 minutes for flavours to meld.
2. Blending — Blend in batches on high until very smooth. Add olive oil and sherry vinegar.
3. Seasoning — Season with salt. Add cold water to reach a pourable consistency.
4. Step 4 — Pass through a fine-mesh strainer for a refined texture (optional but traditional).
5. Refrigerating — Refrigerate at least 2 hours (preferably overnight). Serve very cold in chilled bowls, garnished.

Tags: ) very ripe tomatoes, cucumber, red bell pepper, red onion, garlic · Source: Brittani's Almanac