Gazpacho

Ice-cold gazpacho

Gazpacho, often referred to as a salad soup, is ideal for sweltering hot summer days.

The fresh salad ingredients make Gazpacho a light, satisfying and wholesome meal.

This soup originated in the southern Spanish region of Andalusia, starting off as a simple meal of stale bread, olive oil, water, garlic, and vinegar. Although there are many variations of gazpacho, the tomato-based version is the most widely used. Other modern variations replace the tomatoes and bread with avocados, watermelon, grapes, meat stock, and seafood.

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Gazpacho

Serves: 4-6 servings

Quick and easy tomato-based cold soup.

Ingredients

• 1½ pounds fresh tomatoes, approximately
• 1 small onion
• 1 medium green bell pepper, seeded
• ½ medium sized English cucumber
• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• ½ teaspoon ground paprika
• ¼ teaspoon sugar

Instructions

1. Coarsely dice the tomatoes, onion, bell pepper, and cucumber.
2. Place these, together with the parsley and garlic, in a large bowl or blender and puree to the desired consistency.
3. Add the remaining ingredients, mix well and refrigerate for at least 8-10 hours.
4. Check the flavoring and adjust as necessary.
5. Serve ice-cold with croutons, Melba toast or baguette.

Notes

The tomatoes can be skinned by covering with boiling water for a few minutes, draining, and pulling off the skin. I do not find this necessary.
A can of diced tomatoes may be added in lieu of using only fresh tomato.
The English cucumber has a thinner skin and smaller pips than common cucumbers. If a common cucumber is used, it is better to remove the skin as it is often thick and waxy.
Traditionally, stale bread, soaked in water is added to bulk up the soup. I do not find this necessary.
Place the soup in the freezer for a while before serving so that it is ice cold.

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Should you enjoy cold soup, you may wish to try our quick and easy cold cucumber soup. This recipe is also in our book on page 40. An unusual, tangy cold lemon soup recipe is on page 41. This soup was evidently popular in Swakopmun(Namibia) some years back.