Traditional Spanish Gazpacho Recipes

SPANISH GAZPACHO

Steps:

• Combine tomatoes, cucumber, bell pepper, onion, vinegar, garlic, and salt in the bowl of a food processor; pulse until blended. Pour olive oil in slowly, with the processor running, until gazpacho is smooth. Add small amounts of cold water as needed to achieve desired consistency.
• Serve gazpacho chilled with chopped onion, bell pepper, and cucumber sprinkled over each serving.

BEST GAZPACHO

Steps:

• Combine tomatoes, pepper, cucumber, onion and garlic in a blender or, if using a hand blender, in a deep bowl. (If necessary, work in batches.) Blend at high speed until very smooth, at least 2 minutes, pausing occasionally to scrape down the sides with a rubber spatula.
• With the motor running, add the vinegar and 2 teaspoons salt. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil. The mixture will turn bright orange or dark pink and become smooth and emulsified, like a salad dressing. If it still seems watery, drizzle in more olive oil until texture is creamy.
• Strain the mixture through a strainer or a food mill, pushing all the liquid through with a spatula or the back of a ladle. Discard the solids. Transfer to a large pitcher (preferably glass) and chill until very cold, at least 6 hours or overnight.
• Before serving, adjust the seasonings with salt and vinegar. If soup is very thick, stir in a few tablespoons ice water. Serve in glasses, over ice if desired, or in a bowl. A few drops of olive oil on top are a nice touch.

REAL SPANISH GAZPACHO FROM SPAIN

Steps:

• Rinse well the tomatoes,take off the stems.
• Peel the garlic clove.
• Peel the onion, chop in 3-4 pieces.
• Rinse the pepper, get rid of any single seed, chop coarsely.
• Peel well the cucumber, no green left.
• Place the piece of bread in a bowl with water in order to soak it. Once soaked, put all water away, squeeze the soaked bread with your bare hands as much as you can and set aside.
• In a good blender or food processor (I have a German marvel called Thermomix) put the tomatoes (previously cut in 4-5 pieces each), the garlic, onion, pepper, cucumber, squeezed bread. Add remaining ingredients and crush all up at the highest speed and power your machine can work. No temperature please! Go on until no minimum little piece of anything can be noticed when you try the gazpacho. It must be creamy and with some consistency, not watery like. Pour it in a jar or bowl and let it chill in your fridge. The chilliest the better. Do not freeze! Serve it in bowls as a first course for any meal.
• Notes:.
• Always try the cucumber before adding it. If it is sour, your gazpacho will be ruined.
• For the best results, use Spanish (from Spain, Europe) olive oil. Italian could suit, but believe me ours is much better, though not so well known.
• Keeps well in fridge for a week, guess it won't last you a day, so good it is!