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Andalusian Gazpacho the Old Sevillian Way

Gazpacho

This is gazpacho the way it is made in Seville when the summer heat refuses to break. Sun-ripe tomatoes, a sliver of green Italian pepper, peeled cucumber, raw garlic, and stale bread are blended with sherry vinegar and fruity olive oil, then strained to a silky, ice-cold pour. It tastes like a Spanish garden in a glass.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Total Time 4 hours 20 minutes
Servings: 6 People
Course: Soup
Calories: 180
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 2.5 lb ripe red tomatoes vine or Roma, very ripe
  • 2 oz stale white bread crusts removed, about 1 thick slice
  • 1 small green Italian pepper cubanelle, about 3 oz, seeded
  • 0.5 medium cucumber peeled and seeded, about 4 oz
  • 1 clove garlic small, raw
  • 1.5 tbsp sherry vinegar vinagre de Jerez
  • 0.33 cup extra virgin olive oil plus more to finish
  • 1.5 tsp fine sea salt to taste
  • 0.5 cup cold water ice cold, plus more to adjust consistency

Equipment

  • 1 high-speed blender
  • 1 fine mesh sieve or chinois
  • 1 Large mixing bowl
  • 1 pitcher for chilling and serving
  • 1 Sharp chef’s knife

Method
 

  1. Tear the stale bread into rough chunks and place in a small bowl. Pour the cold water over the bread and let it soak for 10 minutes until softened.
  2. Core the tomatoes and cut them into rough quarters. There is no need to peel them, since the soup will be strained.
  3. Seed the green Italian pepper and cut it into 1 inch pieces. Peel the cucumber, halve it lengthwise, scrape out the seeds with a teaspoon, and chop the flesh into 1 inch pieces. Peel the garlic clove and lightly crush it with the side of a knife.
  4. Add the tomatoes, green pepper, cucumber, garlic, soaked bread along with its soaking water, sherry vinegar, and salt to the blender. Blend on high for 2 to 3 minutes until completely smooth and slightly frothy.
  5. With the blender running on low, drizzle in the extra virgin olive oil in a slow steady stream to emulsify. The soup should turn slightly lighter in color and gain a velvety body.
  6. Pass the soup through a fine mesh sieve or chinois set over a large bowl, pressing the solids with the back of a ladle to extract every drop. Discard the pulp left behind in the sieve.
  7. Taste and adjust seasoning, adding a pinch more salt or a splash more sherry vinegar if it needs lift. If the texture is thicker than a single cream, whisk in a little more ice cold water.
  8. Pour the gazpacho into a pitcher, cover, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or until ice cold.
  9. Stir the chilled gazpacho briefly, then pour into shallow bowls or chilled glasses. Finish each serving with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and serve immediately.

Notes

  • Use the ripest summer tomatoes you can find; underripe fruit makes a flat, acidic soup.
  • Chill the soup at least 4 hours so the flavors marry and the temperature is properly cold.
  • Serve with small bowls of finely diced tomato, cucumber, green pepper, and onion (picadillo) plus fried bread croutons for guests to scatter on top.
  • Sherry vinegar (vinagre de Jerez) is essential — balsamic or red wine vinegar will change the character of the dish.
  • Keeps refrigerated for up to 3 days in a sealed pitcher; whisk briefly before serving.