The Great Spanish Cookbook: Classic Gazpacho

Soup may well be the last thing you think of eating on a hot and sunny Spanish day, but when you’re offered a fresh and cooling bowl of Gazpacho, you’ll quickly think again. Gazpacho is a veggie-filled and refreshing no-cook soup that has a tomato base, and perfectly pairs smooth and chunky textures.

Gazpacho is especially popular in Andalucía, but it is a traditional Spanish dish with ancient origins, having been mentioned in both ancient Roman and ancient Greek literature. The original version is likely to be very different to the version we eat today, however, as the two main ingredients of this modern classic (tomato's and peppers) were only introduced to Europe in the 16^th Century. Here’s everything you need to know to make this crowd-pleasing dish:

Ingredients List:

• 3 stalks celery, diced
• 1  cucumber, diced
• 1 courgette, diced
• 1 medium red onion, diced
• 4 cups tomato juice
• 2 cloves garlic pressed or minced
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil or grapeseed oil
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons  hot sauce
• 1 tablespoon garlic salt
• 6 cocktail tomatoes, diced
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• Fresh chives for garnish

Cooking Method:

1. Take half of the celery, courgette, cucumber and red onion and blend in a food processor along with two cups of tomato juice and the minced garlic, olive oil, red wine vinegar, sugar, hot sauce, celery salt and garlic salt.
2. Once all of the ingredients are well blended, add the rest of the tomato juice and gently pulse again.
3. Add the remaining ingredients and then pulse the blender once or twice so that the vegetables are beginning to break down but haven’t become smoothly blended.
4. Season with the kosher salt and black pepper, adding as much or little as suits your taste. You may also want to add some extra hot sauce at this stage.
5. Chill the finished soup for at least one hour before serving, and serve topped with a drizzle of sour cream and a handful of fresh chives.

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