Quick Gazpacho - Test Recipes (2024)

Test Recipes

by Michael Chu

Printer-friendly

Normal view

Next »

« Prev

Last week, Tina and I visited Nate and Annie of House of Annie for an heirloom tomato tasting. They provided twenty different tomato varieties that they grew in their backyard (as well as providing a wonderful dinner) to try. After the tasting, they packed me a care package of tomatoes and suggested I make gazpacho.For a full account of the taste testing, take a look at what Nate wrote: Herloom Tomato Tasting at House of Annie. For the record, I liked Brandy Boy (my favorite), Little Lucky, Goose Creek, and JD Special CTex the best.

Gazpacho is a Spanish soup traditionally made with bread and vegetables (usually tomato, cucumber, bell pepper, and onion) and seasoned with olive oil, garlic, and vinegar. It's usually served chilled but some regions serve it warm or hot.

I decided to do the fastest and simplest recipe possible for a chilled, raw, tomato gazpacho. I based the recipe on one of House of Annie's gazpacho recipes.I started off (as always) assembling the ingredients 1/2 large (150 g) cucumber, 1 slice white bread (roughly chopped), 1 clove (6 g) garlic, 1 tsp. kosher salt, 1 tsp. paprika, 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, and 1 Tbs. red wine vinegar. The tomatoes (about 800 g of chopped up and whole tomatoes) were in a large Ziploc bag in my refrigerator.
After chopping up the cucumber, I stuffed all the ingredients into a large blender and pulsed for one second at a time about ten times. (The number and duration of pulses will depend on the power and efficiency of your particular blender).
After the pulsing, the mixture was fairly hom*ogeneous with only a few small bits (smaller than the size of tomato seeds) suspended in the mixture. I'll remove those bits later buy pouring through a sieve.
The mixture was poured into a large bowl and refrigerated for an hour to chill and allow the flavors to meld.
Before serving, I ladled the gazpacho into a sieve (strainer) and stirred it (in the sieve) to filter out any pulp and seeds.}?>

This method really did yield a tasty gazpacho with a minimum of time and effort in the kitchen - just a couple minutes to assemble the ingredients, run the blender, and stick the soup into the fridge. I did find that the texture of the soup was more "fluffy" probably due to the incorporation of air into the soup during the violent blending stage. Nate had the same results when using his blender and prefers some of his other recipes. I'm no a gazpacho aficionado, and besides the texture (which I didn't mind) I found the gazpacho to be very flavorful (although I suspect that the high quality of the tomatoes really took this dish to the next level) and had a nice lingering spiciness from the garlic. Overall a refreshing dish on a warm evening.
}?>

Related Articles

Soft Boiled Eggs

Elements (Napa, California)

Orzo Risotto with Buttery Shrimp

Creme Brulee (Crème Brûlée)

Marshmallows

Next »

« Prev

Written by Michael Chu

Published on

5 comments on Quick Gazpacho:(Post a comment)

On October 05, 2008 at 10:48 PM, Aussie Altissima (guest) said...

Subject: Spanish smoked Paprika

Lucky you! those tomatoes look delicious. We in the southern hemisphere are just planting our tomatoes now.
You didn't specify what type of paprika you used. I notice House of Annie's recipe specified Smoked Spanish Paprika, and I would heartily endorse this for gazpacho- it adds delicious depth and complexity. I prefer the sweet/mild variety , but it also available in hot.

On October 06, 2008 at 08:29 AM, surfzone said...

Subject: About ingredients

At home we eat quite a lot of gazpacho, maybe 2-3 times per week, specially during hot summer months. It is excellent for its mix of vegetables, vitamins and everything else :-D
We never used paprika, maybe next time we'll try it.
BTW, that smoked paprika has a proper name: Piment�n de la Vera :-)

On October 06, 2008 at 08:13 PM, an anonymous reader said...

Subject: Stick Blender is slower but better

Hi Michael,

thanks again for coming over. It was a very pleasant evening, meeting and eating with you and Tina.

I've done this gazpacho in my old el cheapo Hamilton Beach blender, and I don't recall the gazpacho coming out as "fluffy" as it did using the Vita-Mix. I guess the more powerful blender is able to pull more air into the soup. I think I'll just sick with the hand blender from now on.

Aloha,

Nate
http://chezanies.blogspot.com

On November 04, 2008 at 10:41 PM, Brandy (guest) said...

Subject: Close to what I had in Spain

While I was studying in Spain a few years ago, I learned how to make gazpacho from a guy I met in Seville. This is extremely close to what he taught me. Only difference is that we didn't use paprika and added some cold water while straining the puree. The water might fix your fluffy texture. We drank it instead of eating it as a soup and I've never tasted anything so refreshing on a hot summer day!

On July 07, 2012 at 03:34 PM, Antilope (guest) said...

Subject: When using supermarket tomatoes that don't have much flavor.

If I am making Gazpacho from supermarket tomatoes that don't have a lot of flavor, I add some V8 juice to the recipe. It really perks up the final result.

Post a comment on Quick Gazpacho

Quick Gazpacho - Test Recipes (2024)

FAQs

How do you get the bitterness out of gazpacho? ›

The quick fix? Simply add in a little bit of sugar to neutralize the acid. Similar to the way many add sugar to their pasta sauce, the goal here isn't to completely transform this dish into a whole new sugary sweet concoction; it's all about using just a small sprinkle to round out the flavors.

Is gazpacho really healthy for you? ›

But the benefits of gazpacho go beyond the temperature. Made from tomatoes and vegetables, it carries numerous health benefits, too. It's a source of Vitamin vitamin A, Vitamin vitamin C, and Vitamin vitamin E, along with several other minerals and nutrients.

Is it necessary to peel tomatoes for gazpacho? ›

Although it's often okay to leave on tomato skins when cooking them, they are too fibrous to slurp in soup form. To remove the skins, mark a small "X" on the bottom, gently lower them into boiling water for 30 seconds, then shock in ice water. The skins will slip right off, and you can proceed with the gazpacho recipe.

Does gazpacho taste better the next day? ›

Make It Ahead (But Not Too Far in Advance)

Making the chilled soup at least an hour before serving allows all of its flavors to meld together. Don't make it too far in advance than overnight, however, or the soup will start to sour.

How do you neutralize bitter taste? ›

Sweetness: From sugar, honey, fruits or otherwise, sweetness will counteract bitter and sour flavours. It can also be used to cut down the heat of a particularly spicy meal. Saltiness: Salt plays two very important roles in flavouring a dish. Firstly, it balances against bitterness.

How do you fix bitter taste in soup? ›

Add sweet vegetables like carrots and beets. They will sweeten the broth and deepen its color. You might also add a bit of miso (or salt) and/or a squeeze of lemon juice. Sweet, salt and acid balance bitter flavors.

Is gazpacho good for losing weight? ›

A bowl of Gazpacho at the start of a meal is one of the best ways of losing weight sensibly when you have a "Protein-Vegetable" day.

Is gazpacho good for blood pressure? ›

Regular consumption of cold gazpacho soup can help to battle high blood pressure and cut heart disease risk, say researchers.

How many days does gazpacho keep? ›

Gazpacho should stay fresh, refrigerated in an airtight non-reactive container, for 2 to 3 days. We don't recommend freezing this soup, as fresh tomatoes tend not to freeze well.

How do you know when gazpacho has gone bad? ›

One can determine the freshness of gazpacho by looking for changes in color and smell. A dimming of the vibrant hues of the vegetables or an off-putting odor can signal that the gazpacho may no longer be fresh and should be discarded. Signs of spoilage: Color change from bright to dull.

Can one freeze gazpacho? ›

Absolutely! You can make batches of gazpacho, place in airtight containers, freezer bags or even ice cube trays and freeze for 3 to 6 months. To thaw, place in the refrigerator the night before and let thaw slowly (do not try to speed up the process in any other way).

What is a substitute for tomato juice in gazpacho? ›

If you're making gazpacho and don't have tomato juice, you can use a combination of blended fresh tomatoes, red bell peppers, cucumber, and a splash of vinegar as a substitute. This mixture will still give your gazpacho the desired tomato-like base and refreshing flavor.

Why is my gazpacho bitter? ›

Removing the skins from your tomatoes and cucumbers will remove any chance of tiny fibrous bits floating in your gazpacho. Additionally, the skins contain naturally occurring flavonoid compounds, which can impart a bitter flavor.

What is used as a thickening agent in gazpacho? ›

The quick answer is raw tomatoes — along with uncooked peppers, onions, garlic, olive oil, vinegar, and stale bread used as thickener — although the relatively newfangled addition didn't come about until the 19th century, after the discovery of the Americas.

Who eats gazpacho? ›

Gazpacho is widely eaten in Spain and Portugal, particularly during hot summers, since it is refreshing and cool. Although there are other recipes called gazpacho, such as gazpacho manchego, the standard usage implies a soup.

How do you fix bitter tomato soup? ›

Add Some Baking Soda

If your tomato sauce is too acidic and verging on bitter, turn to baking soda, not sugar. Yes, sugar might make the sauce taste better, but good old baking soda is an alkaline that will help balance the excess acid. A little pinch should do the trick.

Does salt get rid of bitter taste? ›

In most cases, perceived bitterness was suppressed by salts, although the degree of suppression varied. In general, bitterness suppression was not accompanied by an equivalent reciprocal suppression of saltiness.

Why does my homemade tomato soup taste bitter? ›

That bitterness could be acid from the tomatoes and one way people typically fix that is by adding a small amount of sugar.

Does salt reduce bitterness in food? ›

One understood mechanism by which sodium-containing compounds may improve overall flavor is by the suppression of bitter tastes.

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Domingo Moore

Last Updated:

Views: 5714

Rating: 4.2 / 5 (53 voted)

Reviews: 92% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Domingo Moore

Birthday: 1997-05-20

Address: 6485 Kohler Route, Antonioton, VT 77375-0299

Phone: +3213869077934

Job: Sales Analyst

Hobby: Kayaking, Roller skating, Cabaret, Rugby, Homebrewing, Creative writing, amateur radio

Introduction: My name is Domingo Moore, I am a attractive, gorgeous, funny, jolly, spotless, nice, fantastic person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.