On a warm summers day you rarely feel like eating a lot. At least not for lunch. But the problem is, heat makes it even more important to both eat something and get fluid into the system. That’s why I want to share a favourite of mine: Gazpacho.
Gazpacho is a cold soup from the Southern region of Andalusia in Spain. It descends from an ancient Andalusian concoction based on a combination of stale bread, garlic, olive oil, salt, and vinegar — a cold breadsoup. With the Columbian Exchange beginning in 1492, the tomato and the bell pepper were brought to Europe, and are now widely used as a base for the soup.
Here is one recipe I found on Wikibooks (Disclaimer - it seems good, but I haven’t tried this recipe yet):
Gazpacho is a hearty soup that is served cold, making it a perfect way to cool down and replenish the body on a hot, summer day in Andalucía. This is the classic gazpacho recipe, but there are many other variations. Gazpacho is typically served along with the main course, or afterward. Some Spaniards serve it in a glass, as a beverage to accompany the meal.
Ingredients
- 1 lb /450 g tomatoes
- ½ lb / 225 g green peppers (bell pepper, capsicum)
- ½ cucumber
- a few cilantro leaves
- clove of garlic
- 2 oz / 50 g white bread, 2-3 days old (also optional, leave out for a thinner soup)
- ½ mild Spanish onion
- 1 tbsp white wine vinegar or sherry vinegar
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- ⅓ pt iced water
- sea salt and black pepper
- ice cubes
Optional
- ¼ chilli pepper, seeds removed
Garnish
- 1 tomato, skinned
- ½ green pepper
- ¼ peeled cucumber
- bread
Procedure
Skin the tomatoes and cut into quarters. Remove seeds and stalks from peppers. Peel the cucumber and cut into chunks. Tear up the bread and soak it in water for 30 minutes and then squeeze it dry. Cut up the onion.
Blend all the ingredients until roughly chopped, not too fine, because the soup should have texture and discernible vegetable bits.
[Here I just want to add that you don't have to blend it at all, you can just dice it finely, add the ingredients in a bowl and stir it till it starts to blend. In some ways I think that is to be preferred, as it often gets too smooth in a blender.]
Pour into large bowl with some ice, add salt and pepper. Then prepare the garnishes. Dice the bread and fry it in a little olive oil until brown. Chop the other vegetables finely. Serve in separate little bowls on the table, so that guests can sprinkle on their own toppings.
Serve chilled.
Eat and enjoy!
“I live on good soup, not on fine words.” - Moliere
Thobias
