When I’m so over the summer heat, nothing hits better than something cool, refreshing, and effortless. Enter gazpacho — the quintessential summer soup. Rooted in Andalusia, it’s a simple blend of ripe vegetables, pureed until silky and served chilled.
For this version, I’m leaning into peak-season produce with a twist by adding ripe strawberries to the mix. The berries bring a subtle sweetness that balances the savory vegetables, and bring a balanced blend that tastes like summer itself. All you need to be successful in this recipe is a blender and the ripest tomatoes you can find!
Summertime Gazpacho
Ingredients
- 6 ripe juicy summer tomatoes
- 1 red pepper
- 1 English cucumber
- 1 spring onion
- 2 garlic cloves
- 8 large, ripe strawberries
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoons Jerez vinegar (Sherry vinegar)
- Whipped cream or greek yogurt, to garnish
- Kosher salt, to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- Small pinches of Espelette pepper, to taste
Preparation
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1. Remove stems from each tomato. With a knife draw a cross on the bottom of each tomato. Boil a big saucepan of water. Blanch the tomatoes for 30 seconds to a minute and cool them in a large bowl of ice water. Peel the tomatoes.
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2. Peel the cucumber. Extract the seeds from the pepper. Peel the garlic cloves, cut in halves. Peel the onion. Dice all these ingredients and blend together with the olive oil and the vinegar. (Note: I had to blend in two batches). Add the strawberries. Salt and pepper to your taste.
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3. Serve the gazpacho in individual bowls and add a generous tablespoon of whipped cream or yogurt (of course, cream is sweeter). Add a small pinch of Espelette pepper on the cream and serve cold.
For another summer tomato-centric recipe, check out my Two-Bite Tomato Sandwich Recipes, here.
Bon Appétit!
xx—BB
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