Gazpacho

Chilled soups a great way to beat the heat!

Cold soups are ideal for picnics – just pack some in a thermos and you’re good to go! I like gazpacho but, as with many things, tried a lot of different proportions and techniques until I came up with a recipe that I will now stick with forever. The best trick in this recipe involves mashing the hot hard boiled egg into the garlic; it cooks the garlic just slightly so it doesn’t overwhelm the soup with a harsh, raw flavour. I also like to include some beef or vegetable stock to add a richness to the soup and balance out the acid of the tomatoes. Soaking the breadcrumbs in tomato juice also gives the soup a pleasing consistency. I usually dice the vegetables quite finely so I don’t have to purée the gazpacho as much as I find it’s nice to have a little bit of texture in the finished product. Try serving gazpacho in sherry or shot glasses for a more elegant presentation of this healthy, easy to enjoy soup. If you’re as big a fan of gazpacho as I am, you might also want to try my smoked tomato gazpacho.

Ingredients

• 1 egg
• 1/4 teaspoon (1.25 mL) salt
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 cups (500 mL) finely chopped fresh plum or Roma tomatoes
• 1/2 cup (125 mL) finely chopped green pepper
• 1 cup (250 mL) finely chopped English cucumber
• 1/4 cup (60 mL) minced red onion
• 2/3 cup (160 mL) good quality olive oil
• juice of 1 lemon
• 2 cups (500 mL) beef stock (or vegetable stock), chilled
• 1/4 cup (60 mL) red wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup (60 mL) finely minced parsley and/or dill, basil, etc.
• 1 teaspoon (5 mL) dried oregano
• 2 tablespoons (30 mL) Worcestershire sauce
• pepper, coarsely ground
• 1 46-oz (1.3 kg) can low sodium tomato juice
• 1/2 cup (125 mL) panko (Japanese bread crumbs) or gluten-free bread crumbs
• Tabasco, to taste
• garnish (optional): chopped parsley, diced cucumber, crumbled feta

Method

• Place egg in small pot of cold water, bring to boil, and let simmer for 10 minutes (note that you can omit the egg for a vegan version).
• Take 1/2 cup of the tomato juice and combine in a small bowl with the panko or other bread crumbs. Set aside.
• Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine tomatoes, pepper, cucumber, red onion, olive oil, lemon juice, beef or vegetable stock, red wine vinegar, parsley, oregano, Worcestershire, and coarsely ground black pepper to taste. Stir.
• Place garlic in a saucer and sprinkle with the salt.
• When egg is finished cooking, run it quickly under cold water then remove the shell and immediately add it – still hot – to the garlic and salt. Mash together with a fork.
• Add tomato juice, tomato juice and panko mixture plus garlic and egg mixture to the bowl of vegetables.
• Stir and then taste for seasoning; add Tabasco to taste.
• With a stick blender, regular blender or food processor, purée the gazpacho in batches until you achieve the desired degree of smoothness. Sometimes I like to puree just half of the gazpacho then recombine with the unpuréed portion.
• Chill for at least 4 hours or up to 3 days to let flavours blend, then serve. Garnish as desired.

Serves 8 – 12.