The hot season is here again – with a vengeance, and time to think again about cooling, refreshing soups. Gazpacho is a famous Spanish soup which is served cold. The use of your blender makes this a very easy soup to make, but do not over blend. The soup should have a thick consistency. You can also substitute red and yellow bell peppers for green if you wish.
Cooking method
Using the blender: first chop up the garlic, then add the cucumber and bell peppers (capsicum), adding tomato juice as needed to liquefy. Finally add the tomatoes and the rest of the juice. If you want elegance, press through a sieve. If you’re going for heartiness, just leave it the way it is. Mix in the olive oil and vinegar. Now refrigerate overnight.
When ready to serve, pour into bowls and garnish with salad vegetables as you see fit: minced or notched and sliced cucumber; thin green bell pepper slices; chopped coriander; and croutons and finally a goodly sprinkle of pepper.
| Ingredients | Serves 4 |
| Tomatoes canned | 1 kg |
| (or 8 large fresh tomatoes, peeled) | |
| Cucumber peeled and chopped | 1 |
| Green bell pepper cored and chopped | 1 |
| Onion chopped | 1 |
| Garlic | 1 clove |
| Olive oil | 2 tbspns |
| Vinegar white | 4 tbspns |
| Ground black pepper | garnish |
