What could be fresher on the palate than a chilled gazpacho… here’s La Villa’s recipe for you to enjoy.
Ingredients (serves six)
- 1 kg of ripe tomatoes
- 1 large cucumber, peeled
- 2 red peppers, stalk & seeds removed
- 2 spring onions
- 2 cloves of garlic, peel & crushed
- 3 tablespoons of sherry vinegar
- 4 tablespoons of extra virgin oil oil
- Sea salt to taste
I have tried & tested a number of recipes over the years and this, for me, gives the best taste. I make a double batch once a week during the summer and it keeps well in the fridge for a few days. Some recipes call for green & red peppers – I feel that using just red peppers enhances the colour of the gazpacho. Similarly, some suggest adding stale bread, personally not sure that adds a great deal and also, leaving it out, makes our recipe gluten free.
Prepare all of your veg. If you have one, use a food processor with the vegetable cutting blade attached (or sharpen your knife and prepare for a bit of dicing & chopping!)
Place all of the chopped veg into a large bowl and add the crushed garlic, vinegar & olive oil, season with salt. Mix well and press down with your hands to release all the juices.
Cover the bowl with clingfilm and place in your fridge for at least two hours, or overnight.
Add a few ladles of the veg mix at a time to a food processor and whiz until smooth, placing into a clean bowl (I don’t pass through a sieve as I feel having a slightly course texture gives the gazpacho a little “bite”). Taste and add more seasoning (salt & vinegar) to taste and olive oil if you need to loosen a little. Cover the bowl and chill until required.
To serve, spoon into your serving bowls, I add a thin slice of cucumber with a halved cherry tom on top and then sprinkle with a few chopped chives – finish with a drizzle of olive oil.
