What an insanely simple recipe to put together and what a great tasting and perfect soup. I feel like I’ve been out of the loop my entire life because I can’t remember any time I’ve actually tried gazpacho. Is that crazy? I’ve certainly heard of it, but how have I managed to steer clear of it for so long? These kinds of things make me wonder.
The Recipe
If you’re in the same position I was in just a few days ago (having never tried gazpacho), I highly encourage you to give this recipe a try. In it’s most basic sense, it’s a few select vegetables and a bit of bread that are blended up with some salt, pepper, vinegar, and olive oil. That’s it. The thing is, when all these ingredients are broken down and when they combine with the acid in the vinegar, they meld together and become fabulous. In this case, the sum of the parts truly is much more worthwhile than the parts alone. Wow. I really love this recipe. And from what I hear, the longer you let this soup sit, the better the taste becomes.
Ingredients
Serves: 4
1 Cucumber, Peeled and Chopped
1 Red Bell Pepper, Trimmed, Cleaned and Chopped
1 Green Bell Pepper, Trimmed, Cleaned and Chopped
2 Pounds Ripe Plum Tomatoes, Trimmed and Chopped
2 Garlic Cloves, Peeled and Minced
2 Scallions, Trimmed and Cut into 1/2 Inch Pieces
1/5 Pound Stale White Bread, Cubed (About the Size of a Roll)
3 Tablespoons Sherry Vinegar
Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
Salt
Ground Black Pepper
Step-by-Step Instructions
By the title of this post, you probably have already figured out that this is one of Gordon Ramsay’s recipes. What I’ve found with Gordon Ramsay is that he likes to keep things simple. If a dish doesn’t need additional ingredients, he doesn’t use them. What’s striking is that everything I’ve tasted that I derived from his talent has been incredible. He has a broccoli soup that’s to die for and that hardly uses any ingredients at all. This type of strategy is what I consider true talent in the kitchen.
Prep the Ingredients
The toughest part of this recipe is prepping the ingredients and even that is easy. As I went through the process, I snapped a few photos.
Here are the cucumber, red bell pepper and the green bell pepper, all chopped up.
Next, I trimmed and chopped the tomatoes and cut the scallions up into relatively small pieces.
Finally, I weighed out and cut a piece of bread to use. I bought a nice loaf from the grocery store and wondered how much would make up 75 grams, as was called for in Gordon’s recipe. Well, I’m here to tell you that 75 grams is about the size of a sandwich roll. Here’s a photo of my piece of bread, which weighed exactly 81 grams or around 1/5 of a pound.
I cut this chunk of bread up and placed the pieces in a bowl.
Combine Ingredients
Add all the prepped ingredients to a large bowl. Then, add the vinegar, about 5 tablespoons of olive oil (more or less to taste and consistency at the end), 1 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper. Mix everything together and let the ingredients marinade for at least a half hour.
Process Ingredients
Using either a blender or a food processor, add the ingredients and blend until smooth. Don’t go crazy here. I used a food processor and left if on for about 20 seconds per batch. I ended up with a smooth, yet textured result.
When finished, add the gazpacho to another, clean, large bowl and place it in the refrigerator for at least an hour to become chilled.
Plate & Serve
When ready, divide the gazpacho between four bowls. To make things look nice, you can add some sliced basil leaf to yours, like I did. Also, if you’re into toast, you can drizzle some olive oil in a large skillet and place some sliced of Italian bread in it as well. Cook the bread over medium heat until both sides are crispy and have browned. Remove them and serve on a side dish.
The Final Gazpacho Soup
Right after I tasted my first spoon full of this soup, I raised my eyebrows. I didn’t expect the wonderful flavor I was presented with. Wow, this is really an interesting and flavorful dish. I’m going to prepare this time and time again. Give it a try and let me know your thoughts. Thanks for reading!
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