Gazpacho
Icy cold and packed with delicious vegetable flavor. Very satisfying on a hot day.
Ingredients
- 6 lge. Red Tomatoes, about 3 lbs.
- 4 Plum tomatoes for garnish
- 1 Anaheim pepper, or green pepper of your choice
- 1 English cucumber, about 12 inches long
- 1 Shallot
- 1 lge. Garlic clove
- 2 Tbsp. Sherry vinegar, more if needed to balance flavors
- 2 tsp. Salt
- 1/2 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil, more to taste or thicken and more for drizzling as garnish
- 1/4 tsp. Dried ancho chili powder
- 1 Tbsp. Freshly chopped basil
- Suggested garnishes: tomato filets, croutons, smoked shrimp and a drizzle of olive oil
Instructions
- Start by assembling and preparing the vegetables. Core 6 ripe, red tomatoes and roughly cut into chunks.
- Peel and chop 1 English cucumber.
- Core, seed and roughly chop 1 long, green pepper, such as Anaheim.
- Peel and chop 1 medium sized shallot.
- Peel and chop 1 large clove garlic.
- Chop 2 Tbsp. fresh basil.
- Combine tomatoes, green pepper, cucumber, shallot and garlic in a blender. Blend at high speed until very smooth; at least 3 to 4 minutes. You may have to blend in batches. Pause occasionally to scrape down sides of the blender.
- With the motor running, add the sherry vinegar, 2 tsp. salt, ancho chili and 1 Tbsp. fresh basil.
- Slowly drizzle in the olive oil. The mixture will turn a vivid shade of pinkish/orange. If it seems too watery, drizzle in more olive oil until the texture is very creamy. Taste for seasoning and acidity. Add more vinegar and salt if necessary.
- Chill for several hours or overnight.
- Garnish with toasted croutons, tomato filets and smoked shrimp. Drizzle a little olive oil over the top.