There may be no greater depiction of summer than a perfectly ripe, deeply scarlet tomato. And perhaps no better use for these then a crisp, fresh gazpacho. We were recently treated to a visit from chef and cooking instructor Vanessa Toral Díaz, who walked us through her recipe. Check out the video below, or find the full instructions further down the page.
Gazpacho ingredients:
- 12 ripe tomatoes
- 5 spring onions
- ½ a bell pepper
- 1 clove of garlic
- 1 cucumber
- 4 tbsp sherry vinegar
- 1 slice of crusty white bread (fresh or stale will do)
- A few glugs of extra virgin olive oil
- Salt to taste
How to make gazpacho
Roughly chop your tomatoes, spring onions, bell pepper and cucumber - we recommend a Santoku Knife for this, on a decent Chopping Board. Add these to your blender or food processor.
Slice the garlic in half and remove any green sprout from the centre, which has a stronger flavour when using uncooked. A smaller knife such as a Utility Knife will do this well. Roughly slice and then add this to the other vegetables.
Tear your bread into smaller pieces and add this into the mix, along with a sprinkle of salt, and the sherry vinegar.
Blend everything until it's completely smooth, with no hidden lumps. Taste to check your seasoning and adjust as needed. Then, with the motor running, slowly drizzle in your olive oil to create a silky emulsion.
Pour everything through a sieve - you can leave this to sit whilst you make the garnish.
To make the garnish
Take some of your remaining bell pepper, cucumber, and garlic (if desired) and dice very finely. Mix these through together and add a small dash of olive oil.
Tear or cut some more bread into cubes and lightly fry in a pan with some olive oil until crispy.
To serve, ladle gazpacho into bowls, scatter your garnishes on top, and drizzle with a final dash of olive oil.
Enjoy outdoors, if possible.