Yes, we’re here to talk about Tomato Gazpacho Soup, but, first a question: Have you ever seen a sloth in action?
If not, please head over to watch this video. If so, then you have a really good idea of the pace of life in California in late summer.
Around early September it gets almost too hot to eat — which, for this girl, is saying a lot. Not even a salad suffices because the whole thing would just turn into a sad pile of wilted bits before we can get it to the table.
Days like that are when I make gazpacho. It’s not rocket science. I didn’t invent it. But it’s the only thing I can bare to make when I’m in this slothy state.
Top Tip To Make The Best Tomato Gazpacho Recipe
The one thing I insist you do if you’re going to make gazpacho in my presence (or anywhere near this site) is to macerate the tomatoes before blending them. I know, it requires patience and no one has patience anymore when it comes to cooking but it’s pretty much the only thing you have to do to make this gazpacho, so make it happen.
Enough writing from me: I need to go stick my head in the freezer in attempts to cool down and you, go make some gazpacho!
Go stock up on all your cooking essentials then head into the kitchen, make this, and share it with us by tagging @saltandwind and #swsociety on social!
The Best Tomato Gazpacho Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 pounds heirloom tomatoes coarsely chopped (reserving juices) (about 8 cups)
- 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil plus more for garnish
- 1 1/2 tesapoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon unrefined cane sugar
- 2 Persian cucumbers (about 8 ounces), roughly chopped
- 1 red, orange, or yellow bell pepper (about 8 ounces), stems, ribs and seeds removed, roughly chopped
- 4 garlic cloves roughly chopped
- 1 (6-inch) French (aka sweet) baguette crust removed, torn into small pieces
- 1/4 cup white balsamic vinegar
- Handful fresh basil leaves for garnish
Instructions
- Macerate The Tomatoes: Combine tomatoes and reserved juices, oil, sugar, and salt in a large nonreactive bowl, toss to combine, cover, and set aside at room temperature to macerate for as long as you can, at least 30 minutes and up to 4 hours.
- Blend The Gazpacho: Place tomato mixture, cucumbers, bell pepper, garlic, bread, and vinegar in a food processor fitted with an S blade and process until well mixed and blended, about 3 minutes. Taste and add more salt, sugar, or vinegar as needed.
- Finish The Gazpacho: Pass gazpacho through a fine mesh sieve, pressing on the back of the mixture to extract as much liquid as possible. Place in the refrigerator and chill at least 1 hour before serving. Garnish each bowl with a few basil leaves and a drizzle of olive oil.
