Gazpacho is all about the
freshness and quality of the ingredients. So here goes...
Traditional Gazpacho Andaluz
Like all European classic dishes, there are 1,001 versions of this
wonderfully refreshing cold summer soup that comes from the Andalusian part of
Southern Spain. I will stick to a very traditional recipe and would
remark that the process for making the soup is probably more important than
defining strict ratios between the different ingredients. The
vinegar features in the soup and will impart a distinct characteristic, so whether
you opt for red, white or sherry vinegar, use a good quality one. The
exact quantities of salt, vinegar and oil will vary with the quality, flavour
and water content of your vegetables, so adjustments will be required.
The origins of the soup can be traced back to Roman times when a more basic
version of bread, water, oil and garlic was made. Christopher Columbus
brought tomatoes and bell peppers back from the New World which subsequently
got added to the soup. Incidentally, in the days before stick blenders, the
bread and vegetables were pounded to a paste in a very large mortar, before
being passed through a sieve.
Kitchen equipment required:
A stick blender
A conical sieve and conical wooden
pestle
Ingredients:
1 kg ripe flavourful tomatoes
1 small cucumber, skinned
1 medium Spanish sweet onion
1 or 2 cloves garlic, to taste
1 red or green pepper, seeded
2 slices stale bread. Stick or
sourdough would be ideal.
75ml vinegar, or more to taste
200 ml extra virgin olive oil (or
more to taste)
250 ml Water
Salt & pepper
Method:
Roughly chop the tomatoes,
cucumber, onion, garlic and peppers and place in a large bowl on top of the
stale bread. Generously salt the vegetables (but don’t overdo it as the salt
can’t be removed later), and add a couple of teaspoons of vinegar. Leave to
macerate in the fridge, ideally for a few hours.
After the maceration, add the cold
water to the bowl and stick blend until the mixture is smooth. Now pass
the liquid through the conical sieve, which will remove skin, pips etc. and
leave you with a pleasant consistency.
Into the mixture add the extra
virgin olive oil and once again stick blend to emulsify the oil. The more oil
you add, the creamier the soup will become.
Refrigerate the soup until
required. Adjust the seasoning and vinegar before serving as the
refrigeration make alter the levels.
Traditionally, the soup is served
with a garnish of finely chopped red pepper, tomato, onion, cucumber and
croutons, which are spooned individually into the bowls at table side, and a
small swirl of fine extra virgin olive oil on the surface of the soup.
Enjoy!
