This Andalusian gazpacho: recipe, ingredients and varieties of soup

Spanish cuisine for some reason in our country has not received such popularity as the Italian. Meanwhile, she has something to boast about and what to oppose to any other culinary school. For example, in the heat of a good alternative to the usual okroshke can be a real Andalusian gazpacho. The recipe for this cold soup is uncomplicated, and the taste will satisfy even the most picky gourmet. If we consider that there are innumerable varieties of its preparation, everyone will be able to choose one that will be more to their liking.

Andalusian gazpacho

It is believed that this soup in its composition necessarily contains (and always contained) tomatoes. However, this is not so, if we mean the ancient real Andalusian gazpacho. The recipe of those times did not include tomatoes. This dish was, strictly speaking, white soup. But modern variations on the theme of gazpacho without a tomato can not do. Moreover, they are required more than all other components.

Vegetables are prepared: cucumber, green sweet pepper, a pair of garlic slices, half a small red onion and a kilo of tomato. All components are blended in the blender, then rubbed through a fine sieve.

Then Andalusian gazpacho is cured with a tablespoon of olive oil, wine vinegar, pepper, salt, and placed in the refrigerator for infusion. Wait for at least 4 hours. When it's time to cover the table, the soup is blended with a blender or a mixer, the croutons are put in plates with it, and next is a dish with vegetable assortment - cucumbers, Crimean onions, tomatoes and Bulgarian pepper. You can place next to a bowl with olive oil - add to your portion, if you want.

Gazpacho with shrimps

Not everyone likes vegetarian dishes. For lovers of something more important, you can recommend this Andalusian gazpacho with seafood. Peeled shrimps (half a kilo) are salted, peppered and quickly fried (in olive oil). Six tomatoes, half a red onion, half a cucumber, two cloves of garlic and roasted Bulgarian pepper mixed in a food processor; A half cup of tomato juice is poured into the soup, two spoons of wine vinegar, salt is poured in with pepper. Shrimps are laid out on plates and poured into chilled gazpacho. You can start eating.

White gazpacho with almonds (aho blanco)

In many recipes this soup is suggested to be served with croutons. However, it is worth remembering that he started with bread, soaked in water with oil, vinegar and garlic. Try to prepare a real Andalusian gazpacho, the recipe of which is closest to the origins.

A large slice of bread breaks down into slices and is flooded with water. 1 kg of 300 g of tomato is passed through the blender. The mass is wiped to get rid of the skins and seeds. Then a half a kilogram of cucumbers, a quarter kilogram of bell pepper, a soaked bread, a large onion, 3-4 cloves of garlic, half a glass of almonds and several branches of basil are crushed. All these ingredients are mixed with the resulting tomato juice, soup filled with ground pepper, olive oil, vinegar (wine or balsamic), salt and cumin. A special note will add a spoonful of honey.

The last step before serving is cooling the soup in the refrigerator. Very often to ao blanco served on a separate saucer finely chopped green apple and soaked raisins.

Green variety

This is another real Andalusian gazpacho. The recipe is not based on tomatoes, but on sweet pepper. Five pieces of green peppers are cut along, are released from the seeds, laid out on the oven sheet with pulp down, sprinkled with olive oil and baked until the skin is darkened. In hot form they are packed for ten minutes in a container - it's easier to peel them off.

Peeled peppers along with a half kilogram of cucumbers are placed in a blender and beat into a homogeneous mass. Separately, dried bread, several cloves of garlic and olive oil with salt are also processed. If it turns densely, water is added. Both substances are combined, a spoonful of vinegar is added (you can replace it with lemon juice). Further, the soup is either put for cooling in the refrigerator, or diluted with very cold water, or ice cubes are thrown into it.

Variant with watermelon

This soup is often cooked with fruit. The most popular Andalusian gazpacho with watermelon. For him, four tomatoes are scalded and released from the skin, and two sweet peppers (this time red) are cut into large pieces and fried with a pair of cloves of garlic.

A piece of watermelon gets rid of peel and sunflower seeds, two cucumbers are cleaned (if they have thick skin). All components are added to the blender and beat into a puree. The soup should be salted, peppered, and then cooled. When serving, you can pour greens into it and season with olive oil. As a supplement, dry bread is served.

What else is gazpacho

The popularity of soup has spawned many of its variations. In addition to red, white and green, there is, for example, yellow, it is also a golden gazpacho Andalusian. The recipe is based on yellow tomatoes, but no less often soup is prepared using carrots, yellow pepper or melon. Pumpkin as the main ingredient is much less common.

An interesting variant of baked gazpacho. In principle, this is only a kind of feed, because the soup itself is made according to one of the basic recipes and is already poured into pots, into which roasted toast is added. The pots are placed in the oven, the gazpacho is sprinkled with cheese and baked.

The gazpacho cocktail is made more liquid and served as a drink. There are both non-alcoholic options, and with the addition of liqueurs.