Gazpacho (Andalucian Style)
Gazpacho (Andalucian-Style)
In the southern tip of Spain, Andalucian Summer is marked by a cold soup made with fresh, raw vegetables. Gazpacho recipes made with bread and oil date back to Roman times but the trademark version from this region more recently sprung from the introduction of tomatoes from the new world. The only secret to this refreshing, nourishing dish is to take your time with the emulsification. If you do, you’ll get a result so thick and rich that you might swear cream is added. There is saying in Spain, “de gazpacho no hay empacho” -- there’s never too much gazpacho. I have found this to be the case when I make it. But plan ahead, you'll need to start 2 days before you want to serve the dish.
Servings: 8 servings
Ingredients
- 1/3 Baguette Dried for 2 days
- 5 Tomatoes
- 2 Garlic cloves
- 1 Red onion
- 1 Green Bell pepper
- 2 Cucumbers Peeled & seeded
- 100 ml Water
- 75 ml Aged Sherry Vinegar (Critical ingredient: buy as high-quality sherry vinegar as you can find.)
- 50 ml Ketchup (A secret: Ketchup is not traditional but it works wonders to balance the flavors.)
- 60 ml Olive oil per quart of soup mixture
Instructions
Mise en place
- Rough chop the bread and all the vegetables.
Prep
- TWO DAYS BEFORE serving, dry 1/3 of a French baguette. Retain the rest for croutons.
- ONE DAY BEFORE serving, combine in a large, shallow container the vegetables, bread, water, sherry vinegar, and ketchup. Mix until well-coated and marinate, covered overnight in refrigerator.
- Blend ingredients in batches in a blender and season with salt and pepper to taste.
- In a blender, emulsify 1 quart batches with 60 ml of olive oil per batch.
- Cut slices of baguette. Rub with garlic and olive oil. Toast in the oven at 350 for 7-8 minutes.
Plate
- Ladle into a bowl or cup. Float a crouton on top and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil or herb infused oil. A celery leaf or parsley leaf can add a nice pop of color as garnish.
Notes
Jamie Kelly is an American marketing professional turned gastronaut. She is eating her way through a full-spectrum exploration of food culture in Spanish-speaking lands and staging ambitious re-enactments of her finds in her own kitchen. To join the expedition, follow at FB: gastro-curious, IG: jamie_gastrocurious and www.gastro-curious.com.