Gazpacho Andaluz
A cold, blended soup of ripe summer tomatoes, cucumber, red pepper, and sherry vinegar — the drink and the dish of Andalusia. No cooking required, just a blender and the ripest vegetables you can find. Serve ice-cold.
About this dish
Gazpacho has existed in the south of Spain in various forms since at least the medieval period, when it was a simple peasant bread and vinegar soup eaten cold in the fields. The arrival of tomatoes and peppers from the Americas in the sixteenth century transformed it into the vivid red, vegetable-rich soup we know today. It remains the defining dish of the Andalusian summer: cold, sharp, and abundantly refreshing.
- Vegan
- Lactose-free
- Contains gluten because of Stale white bread
Ingredients
- 800gRipe tomatoes
- 1largeCucumber
- 1largeRed bell pepper
- 1cloveGarlic cloves
- 50gStale white bread
- 100mlExtra-virgin olive oil
- 3tbspSherry vinegar
- 300mlWater
- 1tspFine sea salt
Instructions
Tear the stale bread into rough chunks and soak in 100 ml of cold water for 5 minutes until soft. This gives the gazpacho body and helps emulsify the olive oil.
5 minTip: Use proper stale bread — fresh bread turns the soup gluey. A day-old country loaf is ideal.
Core the tomatoes and roughly chop them. Peel and halve the cucumber lengthwise, scoop out the seeds with a spoon, and chop roughly. Deseed and chop the red pepper. Peel the garlic.
10 minTip: The quality of your tomatoes is everything. Use the ripest, most fragrant tomatoes you can find — out-of-season supermarket tomatoes will produce a watery, flavourless result.
Place all the vegetables, the soaked bread (with its water), olive oil, sherry vinegar, and 1 teaspoon of salt in a blender. Blend at maximum speed for 2 full minutes until completely smooth.
3 minTip: Do not rush the blending — a full 2 minutes creates a proper emulsion and a silky texture. A stick blender works but a countertop blender gives better results.
Pass the gazpacho through a fine mesh sieve, pressing firmly with a ladle to extract all the liquid. Discard the solids. Taste and adjust seasoning — it should be well-seasoned, acidic, and bright.
5 minTip: Straining is non-negotiable for a proper, silky gazpacho. The skins and seeds you remove are what makes cheap gazpacho gritty.
Stir in the remaining cold water, then refrigerate the gazpacho for at least 2 hours, or until very cold. The flavours will develop and mellow as it chills. Serve in chilled bowls or glasses.
120 minTip: Gazpacho is always better the next day, once the flavours have had time to marry. Make it the evening before if you can.