Soups

Gazpacho Andaluz

Gazpacho is a Granada recipe. It was invented in the heat of Andalucía because the land there produces tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, and olive oil in abundance, and because people needed something cold. Done properly, it is extraordinary. Done badly — too thin, too acidic, insufficient olive oil — it tastes of almost nothing.

Made with La Piedra del Molino extra virgin olive oil

Prep

20 min + 2 hrs chilling

Cook

0 min

Serves

4–6

Difficulty

Easy

Ingredients

Wherever olive oil is listed, use ours — La Piedra del Molino, cold-pressed at Cortijo El Marqués.

• 1kg very ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped
• 1 red pepper, deseeded and roughly chopped
• ½ cucumber, roughly chopped
• 1 small garlic clove
• 1 slice of day-old white bread, crusts removed, soaked in water and squeezed
• 100ml La Piedra del Molino extra virgin olive oil, plus more to finish
• 2 tbsp good sherry vinegar
• 1 tsp salt, more to taste
• Ice cold water to adjust consistency

Method

1. 1

   Combine all vegetables, garlic, and bread in a blender. Blitz until completely smooth.

2. 2

   With the blender running, add the olive oil in a slow, steady stream — emulsifying it as you would a vinaigrette. This is what gives gazpacho its body.

3. 3

   Add vinegar and salt. Blitz again. Taste and adjust.

4. 4

   Pass through a fine sieve for a silky result, or leave unsieved for more texture.

5. 5

   Refrigerate for at least 2 hours — it must be served very cold.

6. 6

   Serve in chilled bowls. Finish each portion with a drizzle of olive oil, a few drops of sherry vinegar, and optional garnish of diced cucumber, tomato, and croutons.