Classic Gazpacho Recipe

Prepare all the necessary ingredients for gazpacho according to the classic recipe at home. The base of the soup is tomatoes, everything else is an addition, so it is important not to overdo it with other vegetables. And of course, buy ripe, fragrant, sweet tomatoes. If the tomato is fresh but very soft or cracked, it is suitable for cold soup. The main thing is to have a lot of pulp in the tomato, and whether it is pink or red does not matter. Cucumber adds freshness to the gazpacho, so choose young, crunchy cucumbers with small seeds. Large white seeds in the vegetable will affect the taste of the finished soup, they will come across and crunch on the teeth when blended. Bread is needed to thicken the soup and give it the desired texture. You can use not the freshest bread, a baguette bought 2-3 days ago, or ciabatta will be suitable. But you can also use fresh bread, you do not have to wait several days after baking. Vinegar complements the gazpacho with a pleasant acidity, wine vinegar is a great option. If you have sherry vinegar, use it, then the cold gazpacho soup will be even closer to the original. Onion adds piquancy and a fiery character to the dish, use sweet red onion (Yalta onion) or salad onion as an alternative. Hot pepper adds spiceness to the dish, but you only need a little bit. If you don't have fresh hot pepper, you can replace it with dried or Tabasco sauce.

Thoroughly wash all the vegetables, peel the onion and garlic. Rinse the green basil under running water, remove the hard part of the stem and any wilted leaves.

Cut the bread into small cubes, removing the crusts. They can affect the texture of the gazpacho, especially if your blender is not very powerful.

Finely chop the red Yalta onion to release its juice.

Mix the bread cubes and finely chopped onion, add 1 tbsp of wine vinegar and mix well. This allows the onion to marinate with the vinegar and the bread to absorb this marinade. Cover with cling film and refrigerate.

Peel the tomatoes, this is a very important step, do not skip it. Any remaining skin will affect the taste of the final dish. Make a cross-shaped incision on the tomatoes, pour boiling water over them until they are fully covered. Leave them in hot water for 1 minute, then pour cold water over them for an additional 1-2 minutes. The skin will easily come off the tomatoes. Remove the firm part of the tomatoes.

Peel the cucumbers with a vegetable peeler or a sharp knife. Remove the stems and check for bitterness. Peel the bell pepper, I did it with a vegetable peeler. For making gazpacho according to the classic recipe at home, you can also roast the sweet pepper in the oven at 200 degrees Celsius for 8-12 minutes. The skin will start to crack and turn black. Then cool the peppers and remove the skin by hand. Choose the method that is more convenient for you. Remove the seeds and stalk from the bell pepper.

Chop all the vegetables into random pieces, add basil, garlic, and a couple of pieces of hot pepper. Literally a quarter of a teaspoon, so as not to overpower the taste of tomatoes. Prepare salt, olive oil, and pickled onions with bread.

Blend all the ingredients with an immersion or stationary blender until the mixture turns into a creamy soup. Add salt to taste and a few drops of wine vinegar if necessary. Add a couple of ice cubes. Put it in the refrigerator to cool completely for 1 hour or longer. The longer the gazpacho soup is refrigerated, the more interesting and flavorful it will be.

Before serving, mix the soup. If it becomes too thick, dilute it with cold water or ice cubes. Garnish with a sprig of basil, drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with freshly ground black pepper. Add croutons or breadsticks. The light, summery, aromatic, and flavorful cold gazpacho soup according to the classic recipe at home is ready. Enjoy your meal!