[A ruby-red soup - Gazpacho Andaluz]

gaspacho.jpg

From Neil Perry’s The food I love (page 94)

It seems i am into colours at the moment. Pink, bleu-blanc-rouge, orange, green…
I reckon it might be because of the summer; I don’t know about you, but when in summer i agree eating is only brightly coloured food.

This gazpacho andaluz is a great example = intense red soup sprinkled with emeralds, rubies, gold chunks and diamonds.
What a paradox for a soup that was originally made of stale bread, garlic, olive oil, salt and vinegar!
Though, a soup known as ajo blanco [white garlic] is still eaten in Andalusia.
Ajo blanco is a bread, almond and garlic soup served sprinkled with green grapes and drizzled of olive oil
This soup appears to be quite close from the original gazpacho and sounds very interesting.
I can’t wait to try it so I can finally sample this intriguing taste!
But this is another story…

Gazpacho is a good hint of what summer food should be: straightforward, refreshing and stunning-looking.
I think that in general, Mediterranean food offers the greastest possibilities regarding summer food.
Rich in vegetables, fruits, nuts and fish. It doesn’t only sounds good but is good in taste and for your body.

Straightforward – isn’t Mediterranean food based on simple flavours combined in the easiest way and just relying on the quality of the produce?
Refreshing – vegetables and fruits are packed with water and vitamins.
Stunning-looking – beautiful vibrant colours. Think olive oil, peppers, red onions, fresh herbs…

Gazpacho andaluz
This soup is so easy to make and a real delight to eat. Very fresh it makes a great entrée but could also make a lovely light lunch if you add freshly cooked seafood to it just before serving.
I love the way Neil Perry makes it: instead of grinding the vegetables in a mortar and pestle to get a nice texture, he suggests making a smooth soup and then sprinkling over diced tomatoes and peppers.

Gazpacho andaluz

serves 4

400g vine-ripened tomatoes, peeled, desseded and roughly diced
1 small cucumber, peeled and roughly diced
2 red peppers, peeled and roughly diced
1/2 green pepper, peeled and roughly diced
2 large red chillies, split, deseeded and chopped
1 fat garlic clove, finely chopped
1 brown onion, chopped
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
60ml extra virgin olive oil (fanny: I only used 30ml)
sea salt and freshly ground pepper
Tabasco sauce

for the confetti
1 vine-ripened tomato, peeled deseeded and very finely diced
1/2 small cucumber, peeled deseeded and very finely diced
1 red pepper, very finely diced (fanny: I used a yellow pepper instead)
1/2 green pepper, very finely diced
1 small red onion, very finely diced
olive oil

Put all the ingredients, except the extra virgin olive oil and seasoning in a blencer and add 125ml water. Blitz for at least 1 minute, until the mixture is smooth.
Sieve into a bowl and stir in the olive oil. Season to taste.
Chill for at least 2 hours.
In another bowl, mix all the confetti ingredients together and set aside.
Divide the soup between four glasses, sprinkle with the confetti and drizzle with olive oil.
If you like a bit of heat, add some Tabasco.
Serve immediately.

Posted by fanny who loves entrées, favourites, friends for dinner, recipe inside, soups, summer, vegetables