Picnic-perfect dish for hot summer days
Gazpacho is summer in a bowl. It’s the ideal lunch on a hot day, or served as an appetizer for a gettogether with friends.
I developed my original recipe years ago, and it’s still a go-to for my family all season long.
We love it so much, in fact, that it inspired a new recipe that riffs on the original.
It turns out this fresh, tangy, garlickissed soup is the perfect base for a zesty pasta salad, kicked up with sambal oelek or your choice of pepper sauce.
Puréed and tossed with cold pasta, the tomato, cucumber, bell pepper, olive oil and bread combine to make a picnic-perfect dish that offers all the benefits of gazpacho . . . on a fork!
Gazpacho
Ricardo Tested 2 cups (500 mL) tomato juice 2 tomatoes, cubed 1 English cucumber, peeled and cubed 1 green bell pepper, seeded and cubed 1 cup (50 g) cubed stale bread 1 small onion, coarsely chopped 1 garlic clove, finely chopped 1 tbsp (15 mL) sherry vinegar 1 tbsp (15 mL) olive oil In a blender, purée all the ingredients until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Refrigerate for 1 hour or overnight. Adjust the seasoning.
Serve the cold soup in bowls or cups. Drizzle with olive oil.
If desired, garnish with a spoonful of sour cream or plain yogurt and diced cucumber.
Makes 6 servings.
Gazpacho Pasta Salad
Ricardo Tested For the salad: 1.1 lb (500 g) fusilli 1 red bell pepper, cut into small dice 1 cucumber, seeded and cut into small dice 1 tomato, cut into small dice 1/4 cup (10 g) chopped fresh basil 1/3 cup (15 g) toasted bread crumbs, coarsely chopped
For the gazpacho sauce:
1 cucumber, peeled, seeded and cubed 2 tomatoes, cubed 1/2 red bell pepper, seeded and cubed 2 to 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped 1/4 cup (60 mL) olive oil 1 tsp (5 mL) sambal oelek 2 tbsp (30 mL) sherry vinegar 2 tsp sugar In a pot of salted boiling water, cook pasta al dente. Drain and oil lightly. Cover and refrigerate.
Meanwhile, for the gazpacho sauce, in a blender, purée all the ingredients until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.
In a bowl, combine pasta, gazpacho sauce, vegetables and basil. Adjust seasoning. Sprinkle with bread crumbs. Serve cold.
Makes 4 servings.