Gazpacho is one of the glories of summer, and it has to be made with garden fresh tomatoes. Forget about eating it during the rest of the year, you can only make and enjoy a truly great gazpacho in the summer. Its charm lies in the exhilarating inverse proportion of sweltering hot (you) to icy cold (it). Think of it this way: if its hot enough to ripen tomatoes on the vine, it’s gazpacho time! I’m using Early Girl tomatoes because they are ready now. It’s only the fifth day of summer, after all, and I want to get a jump on this.
I like to use classic, juicy red tomatoes because they have the best, meaty tomato flavor. But I have a secret weapon for getting an extra dose of color and flavor into my gazpacho — I blend some roasted red peppers along with the tomatoes to brighten everything up. It gives the base of the soup a vivid shade and adds a layer of smokey flavor.
For the rest of the veggies, find the freshest possible…a nice, taut young cucumber (preferably pickling or English, they have less seeds) a deep purple red onion, and the brightest bell peppers you can locate. Grab a few cherry tomatoes for garnish, along with a few small edible blossoms. If you have a yard, you probably have some growing somewhere, and if you don’t have a yard, take a walk around the block and see what you can find. I have a list of common edible flowers in THIS POST.
I make the base the day before I want to serve the soup, that way the flavors have a chance to develop and it makes it so easy to assemble for a quick dinner with crusty bread and wine.
Ingredients
- 1 lb good red ripe tomatoes (I used Early Girl)
- 1/2 cup roasted red pepper
- 1 (5.5 oz) can tomato juice
- 1 Tbsp Sherry vinegar (substitute any vinegar you like)
- juice of 1/2 lemon
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp fresh cracked black pepper
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1/2 red onion
- 1 yellow bell pepper
- about an 8 inch piece of seedless cucumber
- small basil or cilantro leaves
- a few heirloom cherry tomatoes, halved
- edible blossoms
Instructions
- Wash the tomatoes and give them a rough chop. Add half of them to a food processor, along with the roasted red pepper, and process until very smooth. ,Whiz in the tomato juice.
- Add the rest of the tomatoes and pulse till they are incorporated but not quite as smooth, so you will have a little bit of texture.
- Season the soup with the vinegar, lemon, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes and remove it to a bowl.
- Give the onion a rough chop and process it until very finely minced. Stir it into the soup. Cover and refrigerate for several hours, or until ready to serve.
- When you are ready to serve, give the soup a stir and taste it to adjust the seasonings. It may need more salt, or more lemon, for instance. Then very finely mince the bell pepper and the cucumber.
- Ladle the soup into small bowls or cups, and put a little pile of the bell peppers and cucumbers in the center of each. Garnish with halved cherry tomatoes, small basil or cilantro leaves, and edible flowers, if you have them. Serve immediately.
27 Comments
50 Healthy Paleo Soups Recipes to Warm You Up When It's Cold Outside
August 1, 2018 at 5:10 pm[…] 42. Early Girl Gazpacho […]
Amy
July 18, 2015 at 6:42 amI love this recipie. The other day I had v8 hot and spicy at home so I used that instead of tomato juice. It gave the soup a kick.
Sue
July 18, 2015 at 7:08 amI love that idea!
71 of the Best Paleo Side Dishes Recipes - My Natural Family
November 24, 2014 at 11:17 am[…] 26. Early Girl Gazpacho Recipe […]
Amy
August 2, 2014 at 6:20 pmThis is the best Gazpacho soup I have had. I also loved your cauliflower and yogurt soup. Do you have any other chilled soup recipes?
Sue
August 2, 2014 at 6:42 pmI’m so glad to hear that Amy — I loved chilled soups. I also have a chilled strawberry soup (http://theviewfromgreatisland.com/2014/04/simple-roasted-strawberry-soup.html) and a chilled beet soup (http://theviewfromgreatisland.com/2012/06/chilled-beet-soup.html) And you should check out my Pinterest board, there are a ton of beautiful examples there — http://www.pinterest.com/slmoran21/chilled-soups/
Kathy
June 28, 2014 at 6:48 pmI love gazpacho! Can’t wait till my tomatoes are ready. Pretty photos and presentation!
Shari Kelley
June 28, 2014 at 1:37 pmWhat a beautiful soup! Great idea to use garden tomatoes for this recipe. The flowers are stunning on top of it.
Kiran @ KiranTarun.com
June 28, 2014 at 10:40 amOne of the prettiest gazpacho’s ever! Yum :)
Shu
June 27, 2014 at 5:49 amAgreed. I added a splash of tobacco and worcestshire sauce and celery pepper to mine the other day.. and realised shit I sort of made a virgin bloody mary soup lol. Definitely trying your version with roasted red pepper- reckon it adds a lot of natural sweetness and flavour. Ace idea! And that soup looks really pretty with a all the colours!
Sue
June 27, 2014 at 7:45 amThanks Shu. I considered doing a Bloody Mary version of this soup, that sounds really great. As for the roasted red pepper, it really adds a lot.
Cro Magnon
June 26, 2014 at 10:55 pmOur Toms are still green, but when they ripen we shall not deprive ourselves. Gazpacho here we come!
Sue
June 27, 2014 at 7:49 amI’m sure you make one glorious gazpacho out of that garden of yours!
Abbe@This is How I Cook
June 26, 2014 at 3:31 pmGreat gazpacho recipe! And i love borage flowers!
Karen (Back Road Journal)
June 26, 2014 at 6:15 amI love gazpacho and yours is certainly the prettiest one I’ve seen.
Cuisinedeprovence
June 25, 2014 at 11:41 pmThis must be the most beautiful Gazpacho ever!
Desi
June 25, 2014 at 10:20 pmI’m with Ali… not a gazpacho fan but those photos are STUNNING! Foodie art!
Kitchen Belleicious
June 25, 2014 at 8:29 pmlook at how beautiful those edible flowers are! This gazpacho looks delicious
Ouida Lampert
June 25, 2014 at 4:13 pmThat is, far and away, THE best looking gazpacho I have EVER seen. Kudos.
savvy
June 25, 2014 at 4:00 pmWhat a wonderful recipe!! 90+++ weather for next couple of weeks, so this is PERFECT!! Esp since Farmers’ Markets have wonderful beauties just waiting to come home!! YUM!!!
Sue
June 26, 2014 at 7:26 amI always forget how long it takes for produce to actually come to market in the summer, it can be a frustrating wait when you’re craving fresh tomatoes!
Amy
June 25, 2014 at 2:57 pmThat looks SO GOOD. It’ll be quite awhile before my tomatoes ripen here in Northeastern Ohio – right now all I have are flowers on a few plants – but when they do, this is on the menu. Your photos are so beautiful!
Laura (Tutti Dolci)
June 25, 2014 at 12:37 pmBeautiful gazpacho! My Early girls are a bit sluggish so I’ll have to try this in a week or so when they are finally ready!
Sue
June 25, 2014 at 1:32 pmYou’re so lucky, I had to buy my ‘girls’ at the store.
Ali Burtt
June 25, 2014 at 11:26 amWell, I can’t stand gazpacho and my husband won’t eat tomatoes, but I had to tell you that those photos are just so gorgeous, you really make me wish I wanted to make this. It’s okay. I make plenty of your other recipes all the time.
Seriously, beautiful photography.
Sue
June 25, 2014 at 1:31 pmThat’s quite a compliment coming from a tomato hater, thanks!
Monique
June 25, 2014 at 8:48 amNow I want to make gazpacho!