Summer Gazpacho Done Three Ways

Posted by Olivia on Wed, May 11, 2011

Gazpacho is a truly seasonal summer dish—it requires fresh produce at its best to be any good. Any when it’s good, boy is it great. Ripe tomatoes, green herbs, and lots of spice make up a good gazpacho, and the one and only thing to finish it off? Extra-virgin olive oil! Olive oil not only marries the flavors of the vegetables in the chilled soup, it is also necessary for your body to be able to absorb the nutrients from the vegetables. Taste + nutrition. That’s olive oil!

When making a gazpacho, your basic ingredients will be fresh tomatoes, various other summer garden veggies (often cucumber, bell peppers, and celery), fresh herbs, spices (often jalapenos), and an acid (usually fresh citrus juice or a gentle vinegar). Whether finely chopped and left super chunky, or pureed until almost smooth, this chilled summer soup is a must-have during the warm months. It will revive you through and through.

Depending on which ingredients you choose to use, you can finish off your gazpacho with a number of olive oils: fruity, peppery, spicy, or citrus. We’ve got gazpacho done three ways here, using three of our fave olive oils: Spicy Olive Gazpacho made with a robust olive oil; Heirloom Green Gazpacho made with Fruity Ascolano Olive Oil, and Lemony Gazpacho with Limonato Olive Oil.

Ingredients

• Heirloom Green Gazpacho

  ¼ cup Ascolano Olive Oil

  2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

  3 cloves garlic, minced

  1 tablespoon paprika

  1 teaspoon sea salt

  1 pound green heirloom tomatoes, cored, chopped

  1 small cucumber, peeled, chopped

  ½ cup chopped celery

  1 green bell pepper, seeded, chopped

  ½ jalapeno, seeded, minced

  ¼ cup fresh basil, finely chopped

• Spicy Olive Gazpacho

  ¼ cup robust olive oil

  1 tablespoon Sherry Balsamic Vinegar

  3 cloves garlic, minced

  1 tablespoon paprika

  1 teaspoon sea salt

  1 pound tomatoes, cored, chopped

  1 small cucumber, peeled, chopped

  ½ cup pitted Kalamata olives

  1 red bell pepper, seeded, chopped

  ½ jalapeno, seeded, minced

  ¼ cup fresh basil, finely chopped

• Lemony Gazpacho

  ¼ cup Limonato Olive Oil

  2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

  3 cloves garlic, minced

  1 tablespoon paprika

  1 teaspoon sea salt

  1 ½ pounds tomatoes, cored, chopped

  1 small cucumber, peeled, chopped

  1 red bell pepper, seeded, chopped

  ½ jalapeno, seeded, minced

  ¼ cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped

  ¼ cup fresh parsley, finely chopped

Directions

1. Combine all ingredients in a food processor; pulse until well chopped but not completely pureed.
2. Cover and refrigerate 2 hours or up to overnight for flavors to combine. Serve chilled with crusty bread, smoked salmon, and picnic favorites.

Makes about 4 servings.