Authentic Gazpacho Recipe
This authentic gazpacho is the Andalusian version of the classic Spanish cold soup, blended until smooth with ripe summer tomatoes, cucumber, Cubanelle pepper, and a piece of bread. I prep it in just 20 minutes, then let it chill for at least 4 hours to create the most delicious cold and creamy soup your whole family will love.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds fresh tomatoes, stems removed and quartered
- 1 English cucumber, roughly chopped
- 1 seeded cubanelle pepper, roughly chopped
- 1/2 peeled shallot
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 3/4 cup water
- 3 tablespoon champagne vinegar, or 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
- 3 ounces roughly cut bread, I like to use a baguette or French, or Italian bread
- salt and ground white pepper to taste
Optional Garnishes:
- peeled small diced red onion
- cored small diced granny smith apple
- thinly sliced cucumbers
- olive oil for drizzling
- thinly sliced cherry tomatoes
- thinly sliced chives
Instructions
- Prepare all the vegetables and add them to a blender.
- Blend on low speed to begin to get the vegetables to break down. Next, add in the olive oil, water, vinegar, bread, salt and pepper and blend on high speed until it becomes very smooth. There should be no chunks whatsoever.
- At this stage you can chill it as is, or you can make it even smoother by pressing it through a chinois or fine mesh strainer. When doing this I really push the soup through using a ladle until only pulp is left. Again, this is optional.
- Chill the soup completely in the refrigerator, which can take 3 to 4 hours When you’re ready serve it with the optional toppings.
- The longer the soup can sit in the fridge, the more flavorful it will become.
Notes
All I have to say is that it's all about the tomatoes if you want to make the best gazpacho. I always use ripe, sweet, in-season tomatoes because this is a raw soup, and there's nothing to hide bland or mealy tomatoes. Trust me on this one, if the tomato tastes delicious on its own, your gazpacho will too.
Let the soup sit 24 hours when you can: The soup is good after 4 hours in the fridge and noticeably better the next day, once the vinegar, garlic, and pepper have had a full day to settle into the tomato base. Make it the afternoon before serving, and the bowl on day 2 will definitely surprise you.
Be heavy-handed on the finishing olive oil: More fat, more flavor my friends. A big generous pour across the top right before serving is what takes the soup from cold vegetable puree to a real bowl of food.
Don't skip the Granny Smith apple, I know it may sound like an unusual topping, but trust me, it's what makes this gazpacho special. The sweet-tart crunch perfectly complements the fresh tomatoes, and together with the other toppings, it adds freshness, texture, and a beautiful finish to every bowl.
Season last, and taste it cold: Season the soup at the very end after everything has blended, and re-taste it once it is cold from the fridge. Cold food dulls seasoning by a noticeable amount, and a soup that was perfectly seasoned warm from the blender is almost always under-seasoned once it is properly chilled. Adjust the salt then, not before.
Make-Ahead: I make this a full day before I plan to serve it whenever the schedule allows, because the 24-hour rest in the fridge is when the soup goes from good to great.
How to Store: I keep the soup in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 4 days. The garnishes stay separate in their own containers so the diced apple, onion, and cucumber stay fresh and crisp until the bowl is ready to go out.
How to Reheat: No reheating on this one. The soup is served cold, straight from the fridge.
How to Freeze: I can push this to 2 months in the freezer in a sealed container. Thaw overnight in the fridge, and expect the soup to break on the thaw. A quick spin in the blender before serving pulls the emulsion back together and the soup pours like it did on day one.
Nutrition
Calories: 146kcalCarbohydrates: 9gProtein: 2gFat: 12gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 9gSodium: 11mgPotassium: 448mgFiber: 2gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 1312IUVitamin C: 23mgCalcium: 28mgIron: 1mg