Use your blender to make this amazing Gazpacho in 15 minutes! Tomato season is the perfect time to make gazpacho!
Does the world need another Gazpacho recipe? Maybe not but there are so many out there with minor variations. I made mine this way and it was so delicious I couldn't wait to share it with you!
Does it have to be a Vitamix? Of course not - any strong blender will do!
Tomatoes make this dish shine so now is the time to put this on your menu. It has a lot going for it! No cook - a bonus on a hot day; fast and easy - only 15 minutes to make with simple ingredients; big on flavour - low on calories! It does need an hour to chill though. So the good news is you can make it well in advance of your meal!
Need I say more? The only thing I would add is - you have to have good or great tomatoes! I wouldn't bother trying to make this out of season unless maybe you can access some flavourful heritage tomatoes at the store or market.
Sherry vinegar adds bright acidity and an authentic touch. It is worth seeking out if you can but you can substitute balsamic vinegar. I think a white wine vinegar would also work - I haven't tried it with white wine vinegar but I think it would brightness to it too.
I was am fortunate - I have a neighbour who is a 'tomato whisperer'! For 2 summers now he has arrived at the door with a variety of tomatoes - big, small, red, yellow, orange, brown. So I made this with tomatoes fresh off the vine! Lucky me!!!
Wine Pairing for Gazpacho
Tomatoes are notoriously hard to pair with wine so Gazpacho can be a challenge. A good bet is to think about its origins and pair a bright Spanish Rueda or Albarino. Both have good acidity to stand up to the tomato acidity. A light Sauvignon Blanc from the Loire would work well with the pepper and onion notes. A dry Rosé from Provence with its savoury acidity is another choice.
On the red spectrum - I actually served it with a Merlot based Bordeaux blend. The weight of the wine worked well with the dish (perhaps against all odds?)
Vitamix Gazpacho
Equipment
- Vitamix or other good blender
Ingredients
- 2 lbs seasonal tomatoes you can mix cherry, cocktail, regular size and colours. Regardless of size or colour go for the best quality in season.
- 1 medium sweet onion ex. Vidalia or Walla Walla
- 1 large English cucumber or 4-5 small cucumbers
- ½ sweet red pepper can substitute green pepper
- 2 cloves garlic if garlic is fresh and juicy use 2 cloves - if it is milder and less juicy consider 3 cloves
- ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 3 Tbsps sherry vinegar can substitute Balsamic vinegar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½-1 tsp white sugar optional
- croutons or reserved small bits of tomato and cucumber
- hot pepper sauce optional
Instructions
- Wash and destem tomatoes, and pepper. Trim ends of cucumber but do not peel. Peel onion and garlic. Chop tomato, peppers, cucumbers and peppers in to large chunks. Reserve some tomato and cucumber to cut into a small dice if desired for garnish.
- Plan to work in 3 or 4 batches. It is important not to overfill the blender or you may end up overprocessing the vegetables.
- Start on low and slowly increase the speed. You are aiming for an even chunky texture.
- Transfer contents to a large bowl until all batches have been processed. Mix well and add the oil, vinegar and hot sauce if using. Add salt and pepper. Stir to incorporate evenly.
- Taste the mixture at this point and adjust seasonings if necessary. If the mix is too acidic for your taste add half a teaspoon of sugar and mix to incorporate. Taste again and mix in remaining half teaspoon of sugar if desired.
- Refrigerate for one hour to allow soup to chill and flavours to meld. See Note 1.
- Serve soup chilled with desired garnishes. (Small dice tomato, cucumbers, hot sauce, croutons and/or a small drizzzle of olive oil). Leftovers keep well refrigerated 1-2 days.
ralph hetke
very tasty and refreshing
ralph hetke
Very tasty.