Summer is finally here! And when we’re suffering from the heat, why not cool down a bit with a classic Spanish summer dish: Gazpacho, cold tomato soup. I just cooked this for a party of 20 last Sunday, and no one complained. My personal interpretation of this classic looks as follows after the fold.
Ingredients:
1 cucumber, peeled and diced
3-4 tomatoes, washed and diced (alternatively, use halved cherry tomatoes)
1 handful of thyme, coarsely chopped
2 tsp italian herbs (dried)
1 onion, diced
2-3 garlic cloves, sliced
1 cup double-strength chicken stock (from cubes or powder)
Salt, black pepper, ground chili pepper, olive oil
Preparation:
In a small pan, heat a good layer of oil to medium heat. Add garlic, onion and thyme to oil when hot. Add the italian herbs, and cook slowly until onions are nicely soft and glossy. Set aside to cool.
Peel the cucumbers and cut them roughly into 1cm long quarter pieces. Coarsely dice tomatoes.
Using a power blender, blend the oil with its cooked ingredients to a fine paste. Then, blend cubed tomatoes, chicken stock, and cucumbers. If necessary, do this in small batches. Finally, season with freshly ground black pepper, salt if necessary and a little bit of ground chili for the right kick. Pour everything into a metal bowl and cool in the fridge or freezer.
Serve cold, garnish with cherry tomatoes and fresh herbs. Serves four to six.
Time for preparation: 30 minutes + 30 minutes to a few hours in the fridge.
