Description
Summer’s refreshing gazpacho highlights garden-fresh vegetables blended into a cool Spanish soup. Crisp goat cheese croutons add delightful crunch, making this recipe perfect for warm afternoons you’ll savor with friends.
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 cans (800 g / 28.2 oz) whole peeled tomatoes, drained
- 360 ml / 12 fl oz tomato juice (preferably Sacramento)
- 120 ml / 4 fl oz red wine vinegar
- 120 ml / 4 fl oz good olive oil
- 1 large red onion
- 4 spring onions
- 1 baguette
- 115 g / 4 oz garlic and herb goat cheese (such as Montrachet)
- 6 garlic cloves
- ¼ seedless cucumber, unpeeled, seeds removed
- 2 tbsps tomato purée
- Olive oil (for brushing and drizzling)
- ½ tsp celery salt
- ¼ tsp crushed red pepper flakes
- Sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Vegetable Preparation: Coarsely chop ripe tomatoes, spring onions, cucumber, and onion into uneven pieces. Add peeled garlic cloves to a food processor and pulse until a rough, textured purée forms with visible chunks.
- Flavor Infusion: Transfer the vegetable mixture to a large mixing bowl. Whisk in vinegar, extra virgin olive oil, celery salt, red pepper flakes, tomato purée, and tomato juice. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, ensuring thorough distribution.
- Chilling Process: Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for a minimum of 4 hours or overnight, allowing flavors to meld and intensify.
- Crouton Crafting: Preheat broiler to high heat, positioning the rack 5-7 inches from the heat source. Slice a baguette diagonally into 6 pieces, brushing each with olive oil. Broil for 1-2 minutes until golden and crisp.
- Cheese Topping: Flip croutons and spread a generous layer of soft goat cheese on each slice. Return to the broiler for an additional minute until the cheese becomes slightly melted and fragrant.
- Serving Finale: Ladle the chilled gazpacho into serving bowls, crowning each portion with a warm goat cheese crouton. Drizzle a small amount of extra virgin olive oil over the top for added richness and flavor complexity.
Notes
- Chill for Maximum Flavor: Refrigerate gazpacho for at least 4 hours or overnight to allow ingredients to develop a deeper, more complex taste profile.
- Choose Ripe Tomatoes: Select fully ripe, deep-colored tomatoes for the most vibrant and intense gazpacho flavor and texture.
- Control Texture Carefully: Pulse vegetables in food processor to maintain a rough, chunky consistency rather than creating a completely smooth purée.
- Broiler Watching: Keep a close eye on croutons during broiling, as they can quickly transition from perfectly golden to burnt in seconds.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 2 minutes
- Category: Lunch, Dinner, Appetizer
- Method: Blending
- Cuisine: Spanish
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 6
- Calories: 220
- Sugar: 6 g
- Sodium: 450 mg
- Fat: 18 g
- Saturated Fat: 5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 13 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 18 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 5 g
- Cholesterol: 15 mg