Ingredients
- 8 slices white bread, crusts removed, bread broken into big chunks
- 2 pounds tomatoes, seeded
- 1 English cucumber, peeled
- 1 large white onion
- 1 green bell pepper, seeds and pith removed
- 2 garlic cloves, smashed
- Kosher salt
- High quality extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 to 3 tablespoons sherry vinegar
- 1/2 cup to 1 cup tomato juice, if needed
Directions
For the soup:
Soak the bread, in a medium bowl of water to soften, about 15 to 20 minutes. Squeeze out the excess water and place in a large bowl. Coarsely chop the tomatoes, 2/3 of the cucumber, 1/2 the onion, and 1/2 the pepper and add to the bread. Add the garlic, season with salt, and drizzle with olive oil. Mix to combine and let sit for about 20 to 30 minutes to allow the flavors to marry and to let the salt pull some moisture out of the tomatoes.
Meanwhile, for the garnish, dice the remaining cucumber, onion and green pepper into perfect 1/4-inch dice and reserve.
Working in batches, puree the tomato/bread mixture in a blender with the vinegar. Blend in tomato juice to loosen the mixture, if needed. Remove soup to a large bowl and stir in about 1/2 cup of high quality olive oil. Taste for salt and add more, if needed.
Chill. Serve cold garnished with the diced cucumber, pepper and onion. Drizzle with a little more olive oil, if desired.
How refreshing!
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By mbriggs_1375345
Morristown, TN
on July 31, 2011
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Great! I had never tried adding the bread, but I loved the texture it gave the soup. As always, Anne has the best.
By jilcalcleveland
Cleveland, 75
on July 23, 2011
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OMG soooo good on a HOT summer night!
By dria74
on June 27, 2011
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Wow! I made this a few days ago for a dinner party and it was terrific.
The awesome thing about making gazpacho is being able to take smaller amounts and tweak the ingredients to your personal preference. Here's a few changes I made in serving it at home:
1. I used french bread instead of white--it added that touch of sweetness instead of yeasty flavor. My first batch was too creamy looking and sludgy, so I did have to add a bunch of tomato juice.
2. I'm not a huge green pepper fan, but adding more really made the flavor deeper. I also added a touch more garlic, onion, salt, and olive oil.
3. It's easy to overdo the sherry vinegar. Using the lemon juice instead of additional sherry vinegar made the gazpacho brighter.
4. Blend several times (before and after chilling for smoother consistency.
5. Chill, chill, chill. Also, definitely make ahead to get all the flavors married and deepened. It's one of those recipes truly better the next day!
Read all 24 reviews