Quick Gazpacho - Test Recipes (2024)

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by Michael Chu

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Last week, Tina and I visited Nate and Annie of House of Annie for an heirloom tomato tasting. They provided twenty different tomato varieties that they grew in their backyard (as well as providing a wonderful dinner) to try. After the tasting, they packed me a care package of tomatoes and suggested I make gazpacho.For a full account of the taste testing, take a look at what Nate wrote: Herloom Tomato Tasting at House of Annie. For the record, I liked Brandy Boy (my favorite), Little Lucky, Goose Creek, and JD Special CTex the best.

Gazpacho is a Spanish soup traditionally made with bread and vegetables (usually tomato, cucumber, bell pepper, and onion) and seasoned with olive oil, garlic, and vinegar. It's usually served chilled but some regions serve it warm or hot.

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I decided to do the fastest and simplest recipe possible for a chilled, raw, tomato gazpacho. I based the recipe on one of House of Annie's gazpacho recipes.I started off (as always) assembling the ingredients 1/2 large (150 g) cucumber, 1 slice white bread (roughly chopped), 1 clove (6 g) garlic, 1 tsp. kosher salt, 1 tsp. paprika, 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, and 1 Tbs. red wine vinegar. The tomatoes (about 800 g of chopped up and whole tomatoes) were in a large Ziploc bag in my refrigerator.
After chopping up the cucumber, I stuffed all the ingredients into a large blender and pulsed for one second at a time about ten times. (The number and duration of pulses will depend on the power and efficiency of your particular blender).
After the pulsing, the mixture was fairly hom*ogeneous with only a few small bits (smaller than the size of tomato seeds) suspended in the mixture. I'll remove those bits later buy pouring through a sieve.
The mixture was poured into a large bowl and refrigerated for an hour to chill and allow the flavors to meld.
Before serving, I ladled the gazpacho into a sieve (strainer) and stirred it (in the sieve) to filter out any pulp and seeds.}?>

This method really did yield a tasty gazpacho with a minimum of time and effort in the kitchen - just a couple minutes to assemble the ingredients, run the blender, and stick the soup into the fridge. I did find that the texture of the soup was more "fluffy" probably due to the incorporation of air into the soup during the violent blending stage. Nate had the same results when using his blender and prefers some of his other recipes. I'm no a gazpacho aficionado, and besides the texture (which I didn't mind) I found the gazpacho to be very flavorful (although I suspect that the high quality of the tomatoes really took this dish to the next level) and had a nice lingering spiciness from the garlic. Overall a refreshing dish on a warm evening.
}?>

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Written by Michael Chu

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5 comments on Quick Gazpacho:(Post a comment)

On October 05, 2008 at 10:48 PM, Aussie Altissima (guest) said...

Subject: Spanish smoked Paprika

Lucky you! those tomatoes look delicious. We in the southern hemisphere are just planting our tomatoes now.
You didn't specify what type of paprika you used. I notice House of Annie's recipe specified Smoked Spanish Paprika, and I would heartily endorse this for gazpacho- it adds delicious depth and complexity. I prefer the sweet/mild variety , but it also available in hot.

On October 06, 2008 at 08:29 AM, surfzone said...

Subject: About ingredients

At home we eat quite a lot of gazpacho, maybe 2-3 times per week, specially during hot summer months. It is excellent for its mix of vegetables, vitamins and everything else :-D
We never used paprika, maybe next time we'll try it.
BTW, that smoked paprika has a proper name: Piment�n de la Vera :-)

On October 06, 2008 at 08:13 PM, an anonymous reader said...

Subject: Stick Blender is slower but better

Hi Michael,

thanks again for coming over. It was a very pleasant evening, meeting and eating with you and Tina.

I've done this gazpacho in my old el cheapo Hamilton Beach blender, and I don't recall the gazpacho coming out as "fluffy" as it did using the Vita-Mix. I guess the more powerful blender is able to pull more air into the soup. I think I'll just sick with the hand blender from now on.

Aloha,

Nate
http://chezanies.blogspot.com

On November 04, 2008 at 10:41 PM, Brandy (guest) said...

Subject: Close to what I had in Spain

While I was studying in Spain a few years ago, I learned how to make gazpacho from a guy I met in Seville. This is extremely close to what he taught me. Only difference is that we didn't use paprika and added some cold water while straining the puree. The water might fix your fluffy texture. We drank it instead of eating it as a soup and I've never tasted anything so refreshing on a hot summer day!

On July 07, 2012 at 03:34 PM, Antilope (guest) said...

Subject: When using supermarket tomatoes that don't have much flavor.

If I am making Gazpacho from supermarket tomatoes that don't have a lot of flavor, I add some V8 juice to the recipe. It really perks up the final result.

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Quick Gazpacho - Test Recipes (2024)

FAQs

Why is my gazpacho not red? ›

While a gustatorily stultifying purée of tomatoes and tomato juice is lipstick-red, real gazpacho falls somewhere between pink and orange, thanks to the olive oil, bread, and nuts. But you can trick the eye by adding a nice green garnish.

What are the ingredients for gazpacho soup? ›

Gazpacho is a classic cold Spanish soup, perfect for sweltering summer days. It's traditionally made with fresh tomatoes, cucumbers, red onion, and garlic. For this version, we are including even more fresh garden vegetables and spicing up the soup with some Tabasco and Worcestershire sauce.

Is it necessary to peel tomatoes for gazpacho? ›

Although it's often okay to leave on tomato skins when cooking them, they are too fibrous to slurp in soup form. To remove the skins, mark a small "X" on the bottom, gently lower them into boiling water for 30 seconds, then shock in ice water. The skins will slip right off, and you can proceed with the gazpacho recipe.

How do you get the bitterness out of gazpacho? ›

The quick fix? Simply add in a little bit of sugar to neutralize the acid. Similar to the way many add sugar to their pasta sauce, the goal here isn't to completely transform this dish into a whole new sugary sweet concoction; it's all about using just a small sprinkle to round out the flavors.

How do you know if gazpacho is bad? ›

Gazpacho likely loses its fresh taste long before it goes bad from spoilage. Either way, I'd just use a sniff test and a taste test to decide. A loss of sweetness and increased acidity (from lactic acid bacteria) or yeastiness are sure signs it has turned. If it actually looks bad, it likely will smell terrible.

What is used as a thickening agent in gazpacho? ›

The quick answer is raw tomatoes — along with uncooked peppers, onions, garlic, olive oil, vinegar, and stale bread used as thickener — although the relatively newfangled addition didn't come about until the 19th century, after the discovery of the Americas.

How long will gazpacho keep in the refrigerator? ›

How long does Gazpacho keep in the fridge? - Quora. Like most foods, it's good for two or three days, maybe one more, as far as food safety is concerned. But safety aside, gazpacho relies on freshness for the best flavor. If you want to keep it more than two days, you're probably better off freezing it.

Is gazpacho really healthy for you? ›

Nutrient-Rich: Gazpacho is typically made with fresh, raw vegetables such as tomatoes, bell peppers, cucumbers, and onions. These ingredients offer a variety of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, contributing to a nutrient-rich meal.

What is a substitute for tomato juice in gazpacho? ›

If you're making gazpacho and don't have tomato juice, you can use a combination of blended fresh tomatoes, red bell peppers, cucumber, and a splash of vinegar as a substitute. This mixture will still give your gazpacho the desired tomato-like base and refreshing flavor.

Can one freeze gazpacho? ›

Absolutely! You can make batches of gazpacho, place in airtight containers, freezer bags or even ice cube trays and freeze for 3 to 6 months. To thaw, place in the refrigerator the night before and let thaw slowly (do not try to speed up the process in any other way).

Is gazpacho better the next day? ›

Fresh Gazpacho soup generally needs time for the ingredients to integrate together and intensify. Make this gazpacho soup recipe ahead of time. It tastes best after it's been chilled at least a couple hours and tastes even better the next day.

What is gazpacho in english? ›

Gazpacho (Spanish: [ɡaθˈpatʃo]) or gaspacho ( Portuguese: [ɡɐʃˈpaʃu]), also called Andalusian gazpacho, is a cold soup and drink made of raw, blended vegetables. It originated in the southern regions of the Iberian peninsula and spread into other areas.

Why does my gazpacho taste bitter? ›

When you leave seeds in your tomatoes and cucumbers, you run a few risks. The first is that there's a chance your gazpacho will turn out slightly bitter from the seeds. Secondly, the watery membranes surrounding the seeds can dilute the flavor of your gazpacho.

How long is homemade gazpacho good for? ›

How long will gazpacho last in the refrigerator? This easy gazpacho recipe will keep in the fridge for up to 5 days. It's perfect for meal prep when you'd like to have a healthy recipe ready in advance.

How to keep gazpacho from separating? ›

Traditionally, gazpacho includes bread for thickening the soup and keep leftovers from splitting if you leave it overnight. I find the soup is plenty thick enough without bread. As for splitting? Just stir once – maybe twice – and it's back to the original state.

Why is my tomato soup pink? ›

The consistency should resemble heavy cream, and the soup should be slightly pink-tinged (not from the addition of cream, but from the emulsification when the tomatoes, aromatics, and stock are blended) rather than reddish, and neither too salty nor sweet— elements achieved with good ingredients, especially good canned ...

Does gazpacho always have tomato? ›

Gazpachos may be classified by colour: the most usual red ones (which contain tomato), white ones (which contain no tomato, but include dried fruits), and green ones (which are white but contain some spices that make them green).

What is green gazpacho made of? ›

Purée cucumbers, garlic, and ½ cup water in a blender until smooth. Add arugula, herbs, vinegar, and a large pinch of salt and purée, stopping to scrape down the sides of the blender as needed, until very smooth. With the motor running, slowly stream in oil; blend until emulsified.

Does tomato soup have red dye? ›

No. Tomatoes are not colored with red dye. Color additives may not be used to deceive consumers or to conceal blemishes or inferiorities in food products. Colors used in foods, drugs, and cosmetics must be approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) before they can be marketed.

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