Gazpacho Andaluz
Gazpacho is the undisputed Queen of Andalucian food – a simple peasant’s dish made from easily available ingredients, almost every household in Spain has its own recipe.
Having a definitive gazpacho recipe is actually quite a task. Things are done by eye and to taste rather than in exact measurements – different types of vinegars give gazpacho very different results; if your tomatoes are pretty tasteless you can roast them first to get more flavour from them.
I’ve added piquillo peppers here as advised by Daniel Martin Perez it gives the gazpacho a hint of heat and also adds to the red colour. Another tip from Daniel is to cut up the vegetables and bread then leave them to soak in the vinegar and oil for a few hours in the fridge. If you have time it greatly improves the taste of your soup.
Ingredients
For 4 to 6 servings
4 ripe tomatoes
1/2 cucumber
1 green pepper
1 red pepper
1 large onion
2 cloves of garlic
2 piquillo peppers
1 slice of stale bread
50mls (approx) of Extra Virgin Olive oil
25ml of sherry vinegar
salt
cold water
ice-cubes
Directions
Peel the cucumber, chop and deseed the peppers, chop the rest of the ingredients. Put them in a bowl and then cover the chopped ingredients with the oil, vinegar and a few ice-cubes. Put in the fridge and leave for at least 2 hours – overnight if possible.
Blend in a food processor or hand blender or vegetable mill and then, if you wish strain through a sieve.
Serve in bowls. Sprinkle with toasted almonds or chopped basil or parsley.
