Tomato Gazpacho Soup

CC#2 loves my tomato gazpacho. My go-to recipe is based on Gazpacho Andaluz from Cooks Illustrated, adapted for easier preparation. We used to bring a tub of the gazpacho to pre-concert picnics at her summer music camps. It pairs well with fresh corn and friend chicken. Late this August, CC#2 and I drove by our favorite farm stand near the ferry and discovered the biggest and best tomatoes we ever saw, at $1/piece!

Ingredients:

  • 3-4 pounds of ripe tomatoes,

  • 1 English cucumber (other kinds you need to scrap out seeds)

  • 1 pepper (any kind)

  • 1 small red onion

  • 2-3 cloves of garlic (I use frozen Spanish or California garlic)

  • 1 hot pepper to taste (I used fresh jalapeño from my garden)

  • 2 tsp of kosher salt

  • 1-2 slices of sourdough bread. Any good supermarket sourdough sandwich bread such as Pepperidges Farm is good for this.

  • 1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil

  • 2 tbsp of vinegar (wine or cider)

  • Herbs, chopped (basil, parsley and or mint)

Instructions:

  1. Roughly dice tomatoes, English cucumber, pepper (any kind), red onion, garlic, and hot pepper to taste. If you prefer, set aside a small portion of tomatoes, cucumber and pepper, chop fine, and add on top of finished gazpacho. I usually skip this step.

  2. Toss tomato mixture in large bowl with kosher salt and set aside for an hour. I use Diamond kosher salt here. Morton’s kosher salt has the same saltiness as regular salt and need to be reduced.

  3. Add sourdough bread to the tomato mixture and let it sit for 15 minutes.

  4. Blitz tomato mixture in blender or food processor. Blender is less likely to spill. Add extra virgin olive oil and vinegar (wine or cider) while motor is running, and let soup sit at least overnight in fridge.

  5. Before serving, adjust seasoning with salt and pepper, top with finely chopped tomato mixture (if you prefer) and chopped herbs, drizzle with extra virgin olive oil.

What makes this recipe work: Sourdough bread adds texture and creaminess. I also like it because one can easily adjust the amount of vegetables without affecting the flavor. Just add another slice of bread if you have too many tomatoes.

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