Andalusian Gazpacho – Classic Spanish Recipe

When the summer arrives with its abundance of fresh produce like tomatoes, cucumbers, and peppers; you’ll surely find Gazpacho in practically every household throughout Spain. Originating in Andalusia, here’s the recipe for the most simple and classic Andalusian Gazpacho.

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What is Classic Andalusian Gazpacho

Classic Andalusian Gazpacho has very little or nothing to do with the soup that most Americans call Gazpacho. In Europe, Gazpacho is traditionally served as a cool beverage (sometimes even with an extra ice cube), but certainly not in a bowl with croutons or other garnishes. The signature of this drink is its texture and color. It should have a smooth consistency and be pinkish/orange in color. The hue may vary depending on the color/variety of your tomatoes.

This Gazpacho is comprised of just a few, very simple ingredients:

• Tomatoes;
• Cucumbers;
• Green peppers (but not Bell Peppers – the ones that are used in this recipe are green, long peppers, sometimes called “banana peppers” or “frying peppers”);
• Onions;
• Garlic;
• Plenty of extra virgin olive oil (ideally Spanish);
• Vinegar (ideally a Spanish Sherry Vinegar, but if you can’t find it, then a red wine vinegar will suffice);
• Sometimes if the tomatoes aren’t very “meaty”, some Andalusians add stale bread to thicken it up. Most of the time it is unnecessary though. Note, this classic gazpacho recipe didn’t require any bread.

*I garnished it with fresh basil just for staging purposed and not for actual consumption. 

How to Make Spanish Gazpacho

This recipe for Spanish Gazpacho is super easy! If you have a high speed, heavy-duty blender, all you’ll need to do is feed it with requires vegetables into and just press “blend”. Be sure to add your vinegar and a copious amount of extra virgin olive oil when the veggies are blended and the motor is still running.

If, however, your blender is not industrial strength, then you’ll have to strain the liquid through a strainer (that’s what I did as my blender is not super heavy duty and I wanted to achieve the smoothest texture possible). Either way will work; you needn’t invest in state-of-the-art equipment to make this Andalusian Gazpacho.

Possible Alterations to this Recipe:

As mentioned above, you could use bread and add it to the blender to thicken it up. However, avoid thicken it to the point where you would actually require a spoon to eat it. That thicker consistency is typically reserved for another cold Spanish cold: Salmorejo, which is also usually garnished with Serrano ham, egg or croutons.

If you cannot find green frying peppers, you could substitute Bell peppers (but the texture, taste, and color may be a bit different).

This is the classic Spanish Gazpacho Recipe. Spaniards cooks like their food very simply. But if you insist on adding anything else like… cumin or parsley, you certainly can!

Should you be looking for the American version of Gazpacho, check out this posting I made a few years ago I based on Ina Garten recipe: Refreshing Summer Gazpacho . You’ll find that it’s delicious, but far from the authentic Andalusian Gazpacho. I say, give both a shot and let me know your preference.

Here are some more of my other favorite Spanish Recipes that you may like too:

• Romesco Sauce
• Salmorejo (Cold Tomato Soup)
• Spanish Potato Salad
• Gambas Al Ajillo (Garlic Shrimp)
• Pan con Tomate
• One Pot Chicken Saffron Rice with Peas and Olives

Andalusian Gazpacho.

When the summer arrives with all the abundance of fresh produce like tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers you can find Gazpacho in every household, restaurants and cafes across Spain. It originated in Andalusia and here is the recipe for the most simple and classic Andalusian Gazpacho.

4.80 from 5 votes

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Course: Drinks, Soup, Tapa

Cuisine: Spanish

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Chill: 2 hours hours

Total Time: 15 minutes minutes

Servings: 8

Calories: 146kcal

Author: Edyta

Ingredients

• 1,5 lbs Roma Tomatoes cut in cubes
• 1 English Cucumbers cut in cubes
• 1 Frying Green Pepper cut in squares
• 1 Red Onions small, cut in quarters
• 1 clove Garlic
• 2 teaspoon Sherry Vinegar or Red Wine Vinegar
• 1/2 cup Olive Oil Extra Virgin
• 1 teaspoon Salt up to 2 teaspoons depending on taste

Instructions

• In a blender combine tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, onions, garlic and salt. Process on high speed for approximately 2 minutes;
• While the blender is running add vinegar and gradually start adding olive oil until the mixture is smooth and the oil is emulsified; 
• Check for seasoning. Add more salt and vinegar if needed;
• If you don't use a heavy duty blender, strain the mixture through thin strainer pushing the liquid with a spatula. Discard the solids;
• Pour the Gazpacho into a glass container and chill in a fridge for at least 2 hours. You can serve it with an extra ice cube. Enjoy

Nutrition

Calories: 146kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 297mg | Potassium: 276mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 750IU | Vitamin C: 13.9mg | Calcium: 18mg | Iron: 0.4mg

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