Gazpacho Andaluz

Summer tomatoes, properly ripe, become something entirely different when you blend them with good olive oil and sherry vinegar. What looks like simple cold soup is actually summer distilled into a bowl—bright, cooling, and somehow more refreshing than anything that requires ice.

The secret isn't in exotic ingredients - it's in the tomatoes. You want them so ripe they're almost falling apart, the kind that smell like sunshine and taste like they've been kissed by Spanish soil.

Ingredients

🍅 2 kg very ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped
🥒 1 large cucumber, peeled and chopped
🧅 1 medium sweet onion, roughly chopped
🫑 1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
🧄 3 cloves garlic, peeled
🍞 2 slices day-old bread, crusts removed
🫒 6 tablespoons Spanish extra virgin olive oil
🍋 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
🧂 1 teaspoon sea salt
💧 Cold water as needed

For garnish: 🥒 Diced cucumber
🫑 Diced red pepper
🧅 Finely diced red onion
🍞 Fried bread croutons
🫒 Best olive oil for drizzling

Instructions

Start by soaking your bread in a bowl of water for about 5 minutes - this will help create that silky texture that makes gazpacho special. Squeeze out excess water and set aside.

Roughly chop all your vegetables. Don't worry about being precise here; everything's going in the blender anyway. The key is getting similar-sized pieces so they blend evenly.

In a large blender or food processor, combine the tomatoes, cucumber, onion, red pepper, garlic, and soaked bread. Blend until completely smooth - this usually takes about 2-3 minutes. You want zero chunks.

With the blender running, slowly drizzle in the olive oil and sherry vinegar. This emulsifies everything and gives you that glossy, restaurant-quality finish. Add salt and blend once more.

Taste and adjust - more vinegar for brightness, more salt for depth, more olive oil for richness. The flavor should be intense because you're about to dilute it.

Gradually add cold water until you reach your preferred consistency. Traditional gazpacho is thinner than you might expect - think drinkable rather than stew-like. I usually add about 1 cup of water, but trust your taste.

Strain through a fine-mesh sieve if you want restaurant-smooth texture, though I often skip this step. Chill for at least 4 hours or overnight.

Serving

Serve in chilled bowls with small dishes of diced garnishes on the side. Let everyone customize their bowl - some like extra cucumber for crunch, others prefer more onion for bite.

The best part? This gets better as it sits. The flavors meld and develop, making day-two gazpacho often superior to day-one.

Variations

Try salmorejo by using more bread and less water for a thicker, more substantial version that's perfect for dipping. Or add watermelon for a twist that's become popular in modern Spanish kitchens - the sweetness plays beautifully with the acidity.

Some cooks add a splash of jerez (Spanish sherry) just before serving. It's not traditional, but it adds a depth that pairs wonderfully with the vinegar already in the soup.

This is the taste of Spanish summer in a bowl - simple ingredients transformed into something that cools you from the inside out. No cooking required, just the patience to let time and temperature work their magic.