It’s summer, it’s hot and the tomatoes are ripe! Gazpacho is delicious cold soup from Andalusia to enjoy al fresco. Our local market gardener has lots of ripe tomatoes which smell and taste of tomato so I made this soup easily and quickly.
Crushing toasted cumin seeds
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Toasting the cumin seeds and crushing them in a pestle and mortar adds a Moorish edge to this dish. And do try and use Sherry vinegar, Spain’s answer to balsamic vinegar. It’s assertive yet smooth.
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Many are the possible garnishes to finish the soup – here I’ve added a little coriander leaf. Because it’s growing in our garden…
Gazpacho
Print recipe
| Serves | 4-6 |
| Prep time | 20 minutes |
| Allergy | Wheat |
| Dietary | Vegetarian |
| Meal type | Soup |
| Misc | Pre-preparable, Serve Cold |
| Region | Spanish |
Ingredients
- 600g Tomatoes - ripe! (cored and lightly chopped)
- 5 tablespoons Olive oil
- 3 medium slices Good white bread
- 2 Cloves of garlic (mashed)
- 1 tablespoon Sherry vinegar (or balsamic or red wine vinegar)
- 1 teaspoon Sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon Cumin seeds (toasted and ground)
Garnish
- 1/4 Green pepper (deseeded and chopped)
- 1/4 Cucumber (chopped)
- 1 sprig Coriander herb (finely chopped)
Note
Do try and use Sherry vinegar, Spain's answer to balsamic vinegar. It's assertive yet smooth.
Many are the possible garnishes to finish the soup - here I've added a little coriander leaf. Because it's growing in our garden...
Directions
| Step 1 | |
| Soak bread in 1/2 cup water for a minute, then squeeze dry. Discard water. | |
| Step 2 | |
| Blend garlic paste, bread, vinegar, sugar, cumin, and half of tomatoes in a food processor until tomatoes are very finely chopped. | |
| Step 3 | |
 Add the rest of the tomatoes, whiz processor, then gradually add oil, blending until mixture is smooth. Takes about a minute or so. | |
| Step 4 | |
| Pass the soup through a food mill (moulin à légumes) or a robust sieve, pressing firmly. Discard the remaining solids. | |
| Step 5 | |
| Transfer to a glass bowl (or storage contatiner) and chill for a couple of hours. | |
| Step 6 | |
 When ready to serve add salt and pepper to taste, a splash of vinegar, and the garnish of green pepper, cucumber and coriander leaf. | |
Nice recipe!. In Spain we usually add some onion, but not coriander. Cumin is not very common, but good for garlic digestion.
Try Gazpacho (or maybe “Salmorejo” next time) with manzanilla de San Lúcar or with a Dry Muscat from Malaga… great!
Thank you!