We’ve heard a lot from friends about contributor Alex Province’s gazpacho, a recipe he traces back through generations of his family in Spain. It’s a winner, the real deal, featuring ripe tomatoes, extra virgin olive oil, garlic, and salt all combined in a simple blender (or food processor).
Use the best tomatoes you can get your hands on, of course; they’re all over the region at farmers’ markets, and in more than a few backyards. There’s no sin in trying this version of gazpacho and adding whatever else you might like. Serve Alex’s recipe in a soup bowl and add grilled shrimp. Olé.
Ingredients
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 cucumber peeled and roughly chopped
- 1 green pepper seeded and roughly chopped
- 3 heirloom tomatoes large, quartered
- 2 1/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1/2 cup olive oil extra virgin, good quality
- sea salt to taste
Servings:
Instructions
- In a blender, mince the garlic, then cucumber, and finally green pepper by pulsing each item as it is added.
- Add tomatoes piece by piece and pulse in between (do not over mix).
- Add a little salt and vinegar and quickly pulse.
- Turn blender on and while running, slowly and carefully stream the olive oil into the top opening so as the allow the oil to emulsify. You will see the color change to a creamy pink.
- Taste and adjust salinity and acidity. (If tomatoes are very ripe you will need more vinegar.)
- If serving immediately, add a handful of ice to the blender and quickly pulse. (Otherwise, store in fridge until cold.)
- Serve in a glass bowl or cup.
Absolutely delicious…and soo easy! Thank you!
How far ahead can you make this?
Delicious! I didn’t have wine vinegar so I substituted 2 tbs of Balsamic vinegar and served with a wedge of lime. My mouth is watering just thinking of it. Also, my blender pretty much ignores the garlic when I put it in first, so I think I will do the pepper, then garlic which I’ll follow with the rest of the ingredients.
My Cuisinart did the trick quite well. I didn’t have wine vinegar either so I used balsamic vinagrette and it was fine. Croutons add a bit of crunch and flavor.
Pat
Pat, yours is a comment I love. You substituted with what was close, with what you had on hand. So glad it worked. And I can’t wait to tell the recipes creator, Alex Province, about your courage in the kitchen; he’ll love it. I wonder if we should try making the same gazpacho this winter with canned Muir Glen organic tomatoes? Wouldn’t that be fun to try? Alex, are you listening? Happy Holidays, Pat…Faith
Joan, terrific substituting. I was just saying to our site visitor Joan, that I’m going to ask Alex to try this recipe with canned Muir Glen tomatoes. I think they have great flavor. Of course it will be different from Summer tomatoes, but what if it’s great? Nobody seems to make Winter Gazpacho. Okay, everybody, let’s give it a try. Fun and games ahead…Cheers, Faith
My grandfather actually made a cold weather gazpacho. Instead of bread, he would add a cooked potato.
Let me see what I can come up with…after all of this holiday eating, a healthy gazpacho might be just the ticket.
Great Alex. I’ll join you in the kitchen for this one, and we’ll report back after the holiday. Cheers!
–Faith
Love this! Super easy and delicious! I was skeptical at first because, though I love gazpacho, I’ve had bad luck with gazpacho recipes in the past. But after trying this recipe, I’m a changed man! I make it all the time now, and have shared this recipe with several friends, who also love it. I use whatever tomatoes are fresh and on sale, not necessarily heirloom, and I’ve also been using a yellow bell pepper, preferring its sweetness to the green bell pepper. Thank you for this summertime hit!
Wow! I’ve heard the show when you talked about this gazpacho more than once and it finally occurred to me to try it. All the veg. came from my garden. I too didn’t have red wine vinegar so I used unfiltered apple cider vinegar. Best gazpacho I’ve ever had. I can’t wait to make it for friends and family. Thanks Alex!!!
this looks easy but we are not really getting tomatoes yet at the farmer’s markets…just cherry tomatoes ….but it won’t be long now for the heirlooms.
This is similar to my blender gazpacho except I do use canned San Marzano’s….I know I know
Mine also has lemon and lime and a splash of shiracha.
I still have Vincent Price’s recipe from long ago where you diced every vegetable and I think he used V-8 Juice! I remember thinking it was heavenly. I may go back and revisit it .
Is it necessary to use so much olive oil? That amount adds 238 calories to ONE serving! Would the recipe taste great with half that amount or even less?
Only one way to find out! Experiment and report back. Start with 1/3 the amount of olive oil. Taste and see. Go up to 1/2. Taste again. . .
After trying many gazpacho recipes. over many years, this one hit the spot. Messed a bit with the vinegar and salt, as I only used three medium heirloom tomatoes and about two of the vine ripened tomatoes. This was the best ever and it seemed to be that by balancing the tomatoes against the acidity of the vinegar, I found the right combination that I had been looking for. I am ready to make another batch. . Thank you!
You are SO welcome! Alex will be thrilled. Thanks for listening, Carol!
Almost the same recipe as Jose Andres…he uses ” Jerez vinagre” or Spanish sherry vinegar. Also, serve with coarsely chopped pepper, tomatoes, cuke and red pepper on the side to add as desired. 😀