Gazpacho

In the summer when the temperature gets really hot and you want something to cool you off, an excellent lunch dish is Gazpacho. It is a cool and refreshing cold soup.

Gazpacho originates from the Andalusian region of Spain. It is a very popular dish in the southern regions of Spain and Portugal.100_4249

Ingredients:

2 Cups vegetable juice(e.g. V8), either regular or spicy

½ Cup cucumber cut into pieces

½ Cup red or orange bell pepper cut into pieces

½ Cup celery cut into pieces

2 Tbsp fresh parsley

1 Clove garlic

2 Tbsp olive oil

2 Tbsp wine vinegar(balsamic is an option)

1 Tsp Worcestershire sauce

¼ Cup green onions, chopped

1 Tsp salt

½ Tsp pepper

Method:

Add the vegetable juice to a medium sized bowl.

Add the cucumber, bell pepper, celery, parsley and garlic to a blender and chop them until they are all chopped very small. Add these to the vegetable juice, making sure that you have all the bits out of the blender.

Now add the olive oil, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper to the bowl and mix all the contents together. Place bowl into the fridge and leave it for at least 4 hours or preferably overnight. Before serving check the taste and add more salt and pepper if necessary.

Serve into soup bowls and garnish with the chopped green onions.

Notes:

  1. If you think that the soup is too thick then add more vegetable juice to your preference.
  2. Most Spanish recipes include a couple of slices of stale white bread soaked in water. I’m not quite sure what this does for the recipe, but if you like the idea then add it to soup and break it up once there with say a whisk.
  3. To chop the vegetables I use a Braun Multiquick with its chopping bowl. It does an excellent job of chopping the vegetables to a consistent blend.
  4. Use any color bell pepper, whatever you prefer.
  5. If you like it extra spicy then use only spicy vegetable juice.
  6. Add more Worcestershire for a bit of extra zest.
  7. Croutons are an excellent addition to this soup.
  8. As an alternative garnish use finely sliced basil leaves

 

Croutons:

Cut a couple of slices of bread(stale bread is good) about ½ inch thin and then cut them into ½ inch cubes.

Heat a nonstick frying pan(skillet) until hot and then add 2 tablespoons of cooking oil. Add the bread cubes and move them around the pan until they are golden brown and crispy. Pour them out onto a paper towel and let the excess oil drain off.

Serves 4.