Gazpacho is the "piece de resistance" of Andalousian cuisine, so I like to try different recipes of it, in order to find interesting nuances. Yesterday I followed these useful recipes:
http://cadiz.cosasdecome.es/receta/gazpacho-clasico/
https://www.elcorteingles.es/aptc/recetas/gazpacho-andaluz-tradicional/
Ingredients:
1) 2 kilos of ripe tomatoes (in my version I only used 2.5 pounds, which is about 5 to 7 tomatoes in the vine). The key is that the tomatoes have to be well ripe and red, juicy, preferrably organic.
2) 1 green bell pepper, without the stem or the seeds.
3) 1 cucumber (if it's too big, use just half), peeled roughly. The point is not to peel it perfectly well, so a little dark green provides a tad bitterness.
4) 1 clove of garlic, preferrably organic. It is the core of the gazpacho, so use a good one, medium size, and peel it before chopping and putting in the blender. The punch of the garlic flavor reinforcing the tomato and vegetable blend is a winner.
5) A big slice of country bread, preferrably from the day before, soaked in water.
6) Spanish extra virgin olive oil. I used 150 mililiters; it could be even better if you use 200 to 250 mililiters, you decide. The amount of vinegar is a third or a quarter of that.
7) Sherry vinegar from Jerez, Spain. I used 50 mililiters.
8) Spanish sea salt.
9) Half a teaspoon of cumin.
10) Half a liter of spring water. Do not use tap water. In gourmet soups it is of the utmost importance to only use quality spring water.
Preparation:
I placed at the bottom of the blender the olive oil, then I chopped and poured all the solid ingredients, taking the stem out of the tomatoes, the cucumber, and the pepper. Then I added the garlic, salt, cumin, the bread, and the vinegar. I poured half a liter of water and blended it all for 5 to 10 minutes. Then I sifted the blended gazpacho with a colander or strainer and put the container glass in the refrigerator for 5 hours.
Serving:
Ready to serve as a soup in a plate so you eat it with a tablespoon (with garnishing in the bowl of bits of cucumber, boiled egg slices and ibérico or serrano ham, or bacon), or even in a glass, as if it were a glass of vegetable juice. This healthy Spanish gazpacho certainly is the best cold soup in the world to refresh yourself in the heat of the summer. Enjoy!
