Gazpacho

My dad loves Gazpacho.  Supposedly, when I was a little kid my Mom made it one night and my Dad ate two bowls.  The rest of us just sort of played with ours and when he left for a meeting we all took our bowls out to the compost heap and dumped them.

On one of the forums I visit, someone was saying that all of the restaurants involved in Restaurant Week have gazpacho on their menu.  Someone else responded with the recipe below.  I decided to try it with the masses of tomatoes that are coming in. 

Recipe for Traditional Gazpacho Andaluz (Courtesy of Euroresidentes)

Spanish cold tomato soup which is the perfect starter to a Summer meal. Gazpacho is easy to make and although ingredients may vary according to region, this is the basic Andalusian Gazpacho recipe.

Ingredients (for 4 people):

1 Kilo (2#) nice and ripe tomatoes (preferable plum tomatoes)

1/2 small onion (60 grams)

1 small green pepper

1 small cucumber (the small chubby Spanish type)

1 small cup of olive oil (extra virgin is best, but it depends on your taste)

2 desert spoons of red wine vinegar

200 grams of bread from the day before, soaked in water (I make it without bread for myself, but traditionally it calls for the bread)

1 clove of garlic, to taste (this is not included in the original recipe, but does add character)

Small portions of diced tomatoes, red and green peppers, cucumber, onion or spring onion and bread or croutons to sprinkle on top.

Put the tomatoes, onion, pepper, cucumber, vinegar, oil and bread into a blender. If you want to dilute it, add a glass of water. If you want to go for a tangy garlic taste, add a small amount of fresh garlic to the mixture before liquidizing.

Put the mixture into a bowl, add salt and pepper and leave the gazpacho to chill for at least an hour. If you want to eat it straight away, you can put some ice cubes in to cool it down. Gazpacho is a Summer dish which is meant to hydrate and cool down your body. So the colder the better!!

Serve the gazpacho en soup bowls, with the portions of diced tomatoes, pepper, cucumber, onion, croutons etc on the table, so that everyone can add them to their bowl as they prefer. Tip: you can also sprinkle diced serrano ham or hard boiled egg.

Make sure you have enough time to put it in the fridge so that you can serve your gazpacho really chilled. Use quality produce. Vary the ingredients according to your personal taste. Gazpacho makes a delicious starter to a meal.

ENJOY!

It filled the blender.  It's pretty good and would be prefect for a really hot summer day.  I think my dad would like it.