Enjoy this flavoursome, summer soup
Gazpacho soup is perfect for a midsummer lunch or light supper.
What is Gazpacho
It’s a cold tomato soup with cucumber and peppers.
And it is delicious, just like the cold cucumber soup I made this summer.
Originating from the Andalusia region of southern Spain but there are many variations.
This is a Gordon Ramsay version which simple and flavourful.
Tips for making great gazpacho
- Use the sweetest, ripest, tomatoes
- Use English cucumbers as they have thin peels and aren’t as bitter as other cucumbers. Plus, you can decide to peel or not.
- Smooth or chunky. For semi-smooth gazpacho, chop all the ingredients into fine dice, then purée half of the mixture and return it to the soup.
- Taste and adjust the seasoning after chilling and before serving.
- Rest your gazpacho. Try not to eat as soon as you make it. If you leave it to chill in the fridge for an hour or so the flavours will really develop.
Gazpacho soup recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cucumber, peeled and chopped
- 1 red pepper and 1 green pepper deseeded and chopped
- 1kg ripe tomatoes, cored and chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
- 2 spring onions, trimmed and finely chopped
- 75g stale crusty white bread, chopped
- 2–2½ tbsp sherry vinegar, or to taste
Method
- Place the cucumber, peppers, tomatoes, garlic and spring onions in a large bowl.
- Add the bread and season well with salt and pepper.
- Add the sherry vinegar and a couple of tablespoons of olive oil and mix together with your hands, pressing down to squeeze out the juices.
- Cover and chill. Leave to marinade for at least 30 mins or overnight.
- Put the vegetable mixture into a blender and whiz until smooth. Check the consistency. If it is still rather thick and not very rich, add another glug or two of olive oil until you reach a consistency you like.
- Taste and adjust the seasoning as necessary. You might need a little more vinegar. Cover and chill again, until really cold and you’re ready to serve:
- TIP: stir the gazpacho and taste again as the seasoning may have changed as the soup is now very cold. Adjust as necessary.
- Garnish with chopped basil, an extra drizzle of olive oil and toasted bread alongside.
Recipe: Gordon Ramsay
