Simple hack guarantees a refreshing gazpacho
After months of maximizing their stoves, even the most ardent cooks need a break.
It’s the perfect time to go with a dish that requires no cooking and minimal work: gazpacho.
The Spanish soup is made from a puree of fresh vegetables. There are countless variations, but the restorative classic is best made with produce that’s hanging out at your farmers market.
Skye McAlpine, a food writer based in Venice, Italy, is a gazpacho enthusiast. “It’s such a refreshing dish, and so quick. When it’s really hot, I don’t feel like cooking. I love that you just throw all the ingredients in a blender,” she says.
In her new book, “A Table for Friends: The Art of Cooking for Two or Twenty,” there’s a recipe for the dish, with an engaging twist. Instead of the classic stale bread to thicken the soup and soften acid from the tomatoes and vinegar, McAlpine uses an apple.
The result is an additional hit of fruitiness and cooling power in the already hyperrefreshing soup. The apple replacement also makes the dish gluten-free for anyone with allergies or low-carb summer diet restraints.
The following recipe is adapted from “A Table for Friends.”
GAZPACHO
Serves 4 2¼ pounds tomatoes, chopped 2 medium carrots, chopped 2 medium red bell peppers, deseeded and chopped
1 small, sweet apple, such as a Pink Lady, cored and chopped
¼ red onion, chopped 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for serving
1 teaspoon sea salt, plus extra to taste Freshly ground black pepper Hard-boiled eggs, sliced, for serving (optional)
Bread, for serving (optional)
Working in batches if necessary, combine all the soup ingredients except the salt and pepper in a blender. Blitz until smooth. Add 1 teaspoon salt and blitz again to combine; check for seasoning. Season with pepper and more salt, if necessary. Pass the mixture through a sieve, pressing down on the solids. Refrigerate the soup two hours, or until chilled.
Drizzle the ice-cold gazpacho with oil. If desired, garnish with hardboiled eggs and serve with bread.