Classic Gazpacho - Recipe by Jose' Andres

We love this soup.  So much in fact that a picture of it is up at the top of this blog in the header image!  I had grand goals of posting about it years ago, better late than never.   The soup is cold and refreshing and perfect with just about anything.  Also, it's EASY.  It does take some forethought as you want to give the ingredients time to marry together, but other than that, it's a snap.  

This is the perfect summer soup because most of the ingredients can all be found fresh in the summer.  My local grocery store did not have sherry vinegar, but I was able to find it at Whole Foods.    

I hear it described as a cold tomato soup, which is factually accurate, but I don't like to think of it that way since I am not a huge fan of tomatoes.  I do NOT like hot tomato soup.  Not one bit.  Or too much raw tomato on anything.  SO, the fact that this soup is so amazingly good and perfect yet chock full of pureed tomatoes speaks to how well the other ingredients shine as well.   

This recipe is by Jose' Andres, a chef we follow and have enjoyed eating at several of his restaurants.  

Recipe - Classic Gazpacho by Jose' Andres

Ingredients

1-1/2 lbs tomatoes, roughly chopped, plus 1/2 tomato diced for garnish

3/4 medium cucumber, peeled and roughly chopped, remainder diced for garnish

1/2 medium green bell pepper, roughly chopped, remainder diced for garnish

1 garlic clove, crushed

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for garnish

1 tablespoon sherry vinegar

1/2 tsp salt

Directions

1. Combine ingredients (except garnish) in a large bowl, toss to combine.  Refrigerate for at least 12 hours, up to 1 day. 

2. Transfer to a blender and blend until smooth.  Serve immediately or refrigerate up to 3 days.  When ready to serve, top each serving with garnish of vegetables and drizzle of olive oil.   Optional - top with homemade croutons or serve with crusty bread.