Spanish Gazpacho Soup
Ingredients
- 2 slices stale crusty bread, about 6 ounces, crusts removed and torn into smaller chunks
- 2 pounds ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped
- 1 small cucumber, peeled and chopped
- 1 medium red bell pepper, cored and roughly chopped
- 1 clove garlic, peeled and chopped
- 1/2 spanish onion, roughly chopped
- 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- pinch of cumin, to taste
- pinch of dry oregano, to taste
- pinch of cayenne pepper, to taste
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- Optional garnishes: croutons, diced veggies, cream, bacon
Instructions
- Soak the bread for 30 minutes in a small bowl with enough water to keep it submerged. Remove from water and squeeze out almost all the moisture with your hands.
- In a large bowl, add all the ingredients and mix to combine.
- Using a strong blender, blend the mixture in batches, until very smooth. Pass the mixture through a coarse sieve,pushing with the back of a wooden spoon. If desired, blend whatever was caught in the sieve and mix that with the soup, for a chunkier version.
- Taste and adjust seasoning, then cover and refrigerate for 1 hour until well chilled.
- Before serving, adjust seasoning and serve in individual glasses or soup bowls. You can garnish with croutons, chopped bacon, herbs, black pepper, veggies and/or cream.
Notes
Notes: Gazpacho can be smooth and elegant or rustic and chunky. This version makes a smooth soup, but if you’d like it chunkier, just pulse a few times in the blender and skip the sieve process.