Summer is in full swing—the sun is strong, produce is perfect, bikinis are sold out, and it’s GAZPACHO season. Try these three delectable variations of everyone’s favorite chilled soup that will keep your taste buds buzzing and your “skinny jeans” fitting just right.
Creamy Roasted Tomato Gazpacho
Serves: 4
Ingredients
- 1.5 pounds cluster or roma tomatoes
- ½ a yellow onion, sliced into a few large pieces
- 2-3 anaheim or piquillo peppers (or 1 small red bell)
- 3 cloves of garlic
- 1-2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoons sherry vinegar
- ¼ cup toasted pine nuts or marcona almonds
- 1 slice sourdough bread, stale, toasted, or grilled
- salt & pepper
- water, as needed, to thin
- optional toppings: chopped tomato, cucumber, scallion, chile flakes
Instructions
- Heat a cast iron skillet, grill pan (or outdoor grill). Dry roast (whole) tomatoes, onion slices, peppers, and garlic (still in it’s paper) by placing each directly in the pan, rotating every few minutes until a nice black char marks form all over. You’ll probably remove the garlic first, then the peppers and lastly the onion slices and tomatoes. Let everything cool to room temp.
- Scrape most of the skin off the peppers, and remove seeds and ribbing.
- Over a bowl, core the tomatoes (saving the juice that comes out).
- Remove the paper from the garlic and place it into the food processor with the tomatoes, onion, peppers, 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar, and a generous amount of salt and pepper.
- Blend until pureed. Add pine nuts and bread and blend again. Taste and adjust.
- Chill at least 1 hour. The longer this sits the better. Taste again & adjust seasonings before serving.
Sweet Corn Gazpacho
Serves: 4
Ingredients
- 3 ears of corn
- 12 ounces (about 2 heaping cups) yellow cherry tomatoes
- 1 yellow bell pepper, seeded roughly chopped
- 1/2 medium shallot
- 6 garlic cloves
- 1/2 canned white beans, drained
- 3/4 to 1 cup vegetable stock
- juice of 1 lime, optional
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- salt and pepper to taste
- garnish:
- radish sprouts
- high quality extra virgin olive oil
- raw corn kernels
- cilantro leaves
Instructions
1. Holding an ear of corn on an angle in a large mixing bowl, slice fresh kernels off the cob and reserve 1/3 cup kernels for garnish. Using the back of your knife, remove the excess ‘milk’ (liquid) from the cob, into the bowl with the kernels. Discard cobs or reserve for later use.
2. Place the corn and remaining ingredients into a blender and thoroughly blend until smooth, 3 to 4 minutes. Refrigerate mixture (in the blender well) for at least an hour.
3. When ready to serve, blend mixture for 30 seconds and adjust seasonings.
4. Ladle gazpacho into bowls and top with a sprinkle the reserved corn kernels.
5. Finish each serving with a drizzle of oil and a small about of radish sprouts and cilantro leaves. Serve.
Beet Gazpacho
Serves: 4
Ingredients
- ¾ lb beets ( 4 medium beets, smaller than a tennis ball)
- ¼ cup red or sweet onion, finely diced, divided
- 2 garlic cloves
- 3 small turkish cucumbers, divided
- ½ C fresh dill, divided
- 2 Tablespoons sherry vinegar, plus more to taste
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt, more to taste
- ¼ teaspoon fresh pepper
- Garnishes- avocado, diced cucumber, diced beet, finely diced onion, chopped dill, baby nasturtium leaves, olive oil or yogurt or sour cream
Instructions
- Place beets in a medium pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil. Turn heat down to low and simmer until fork tender all the way through, about 45- 60 minutes. Chill beets and their cooking liquid.
- Once beets are cold, slip off their skins using your hands. Slice and place 3 of the 4 beets ( saving one) in a blender with 2 Cups of the cold cooking liquid ( or use ice water, or cold veggie stock). Add the half of the chopped onion( about ⅛ cup) , 2 garlic cloves, 2 sliced turkish cucumbers ( saving one) salt, pepper, vinegar and about ⅔ of the fresh dill ( saving some for garnish). Blend until very smooth. Taste and adjust salt and vinegar. Place in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
- Prep the garnishes. Finely dice remaining beet, cucumber, avocado and chop the remaining dill. Pour chilled beet soup (the colder it is, the better) into bowls. Top with with the garnishes. Drizzle with a little olive oil or a swirl of yogurt or sour cream if you like. Serve immediately!
