Gazpacho ... with Gusto!

Gazpacho is an Andalusian raw vegetable soup based on tomatoes and noted for its acidic bite!

Your Gazpacho can include any number of ingredients - avocado, cucumber, watermelon, grapes, even seafood. Modern recipes will often include sugar to counter the vinegar as a gastrique - paleo, we can simply leave that out and enjoy the genuine article.

My previous article on Gazpacho was a rather pure version, just tomato and a good zing.

This, more spontaneous ...

Wanting a quick starter while my Corned Beef Hash cooked out, I just chopped up a few ingredients and whizzed it through with my hand blender.

For two ...

Two tomatoes, cubed.
Two inches of cucumber, cubed.
One green pepper, chopped.
Two large spring onions, chopped.
Four cloves of pickled garlic.
Two large pickled chillies, shredded.
Twelve splashes of green Tabasco.
One capful of white wine vinegar.
Black pepper.
Sea Salt.

Blitz, but not to a purée ... we want some crunch!

Want it more pure(e)? Muddle it with the end of a rolling pin until the relevant softness has been found.

Serve out into a bowl with a few ice cubes dropped in for added chill.

Gazpacho

Gazpacho is an Andalusian raw vegetable soup based on tomatoes and noted for its acidic bite!

Your Gazpacho can include any number of ingredients - avocado, cucumber, watermelon, grapes, even seafood. Modern recipes will often include sugar to counter the vinegar as a gastrique - paleo, we can simply leave that out and enjoy the genuine article.

Let's start out simple ...

First, the tomatoes - simply quarter and place into a bowl and then pound with the end of a rolling pin until a pulp is achieved, stopping short of a puree. You could use a food processor or blender, but mashing is more fun!

Add a good glug of extra virgin olive oil or avocado oil, a splash of cider vinegar and any other ingredients you want to include - diced cucumber, avocado, whatever. I like to use pickled chillis for a lighter vinegar flavour, a good tang and a little bite.

Pure sea salt to taste and a grind of pepper.

Finally, a little chilled water or even crushed ice cubes just to cool the dish.