Name: Andalusian Gazpacho
Prep time: 15 min
Total time: 135 min
Yield: 2 servings
Cuisine: Spanish
Ingredients: 500 g Tomato, ripe and roughly chopped; 120 g Cucumber, peeled and chopped; 80 g Green Bell Pepper, chopped; 1 clove Garlic, peeled; 3 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil; 1½ tbsp Sherry Vinegar; ¾ tsp Salt; ¼ tsp Black Peppercorns, freshly crushed; 60 ml Water, cold, only if needed to loosen

2 hr 15 mintotal

15 min hands-on2 hr hands-off

Prep 15 min

Serves: 2
Difficulty: Easy
Spice: None

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Ingredients

Quantities are for 2 servings.

Includes 2 hours of chilling time.

Method

Add the tomatoes, cucumber, green capsicum, garlic, sherry vinegar, salt, black pepper, and measured olive oil to a blender.
Blend until very smooth. Add the measured cold water only if the soup is too thick to pour.
Taste and adjust only with the listed salt or sherry vinegar. The soup should taste bright but balanced.
Chill the gazpacho until thoroughly cold. Stir before serving because the olive oil may settle slightly.

How to tell it's done

The gazpacho should be pourable, smooth, cold, and lightly emulsified rather than watery.

Getting it right

Tip

For a smoother finish, strain the soup after blending; for a rustic texture, leave it unstrained.

What to serve it with

Serve cold in small bowls or glasses with a light drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

Common mistakes

The gazpacho is pale and frothy rather than deep red.: Blend the vegetables first and add the olive oil in a slow stream at the end. Oil blended from the start whips into an emulsion and lightens the colour.
It tastes sharp and thin.: Ripe tomatoes are doing nearly all the work here. Out of season, a pinch of salt and a rest in the fridge help, but under-ripe tomatoes cannot be corrected with more vinegar.

Substitutions

Use Vinegar if Sherry Vinegar is unavailable, but the flavor will be less specifically Spanish.
Red Capsicum can replace Green Capsicum for a sweeter soup.
Use very ripe tomatoes; underripe tomatoes make the soup flat and acidic.

Storing and reheating

Keeps three days in the fridge and is better on the second day, once the garlic has settled. It separates as it stands — stir or shake before pouring. Do not freeze; the texture breaks completely.

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