Vegetarian Soup Recipes – Classic Gazpacho
Gazpacho is a cold Spanish, Portuguese based vegetable soup, originating in the southern region of Andalucía.
There are several stories to the origin of gazpacho an Arab that arrived in Spain and Portugal with the Moors, or via the Romans with the addition of vinegar.
The earliest gazpacho recipe is referred as ‘ajo blanco’, or white gazpacho a creamy soup containing ground almonds, cucumbers, yogurt and garlic. While the addition of tomatoes and peppers are both New World foods. Evidence of gazpacho predates European contact with these vegetables.
Ingredients:
2 tbsp – Oil
1 No – Celery stalk sliced
1/2 cup – Sweet corn kernels
1 No – Onion small chopped
1/4 cup – Red wine vinegar
1/4 cup – Coriander chopped
2 No – Garlic clove
1 kg – Tomatoes
1 No – Seasoning cube
1/4 cup – Cucumber chopped
1/4 cup – Red pepper chopped
Pepper to taste
Salt to taste
Lemon juice to taste
Accompaniments
1/4 cup – Cucumber finely chopped
1/4 cup – Green pepper chopped
3 tbsp – Chives finely chopped
1 cup – Flavoured croutons
Method:
Drop the tomatoes hot water and put through a sieve. Boil with a seasoning cube and cool.
Puree the first four ingredients for the soup in a liquidiser. Add sieved tomatoes, peppers and coriander and blend.
You can use additional tomato juice with ice cubes to thin if you like.
Season well and transfer the mix to a bowl and chill for 1-6 hours.
Get the accompaniments ready and chill the vegetables as well.
Serve over a bowl of ice cubes. Let people choose their accompaniments.