Gazpacho

Gazpacho is probably the best known soup to have come from Spain. The cooks of Andalucía devised this refreshing chilled soup possibly as an antidote to the passions aroused by those contributions to Spanish culture, flamenco and bullfighting. It’s also a good hangover remedy, LOL. Often called a puréed salad, gazpacho sometimes has stale breadcrumbs blended in with the vegetables to make it a heartier meal.

Traditional accompaniments for this soup include croutons and diced hard boiled eggs. Serve in a glass tumbler with a celery swizzle stick.

Ingredients:

2 medium red capsicums

1L vegetable juice

30ml red wine vinegar

2.5ml Tabasco sauce

1 clove garlic, quartered

3 trimmed celery sticks

1 medium red onion, chopped finely

5 medium tomatoes, chopped finely

2 English cucumbers, peeled, seeded and chopped finely

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method:

Quarter the capsicums; remove and discard the seeds and membranes. Roast under grill or in a very hot oven, skin side up, until skin blisters and blackens. Place capsicum pieces in a bowl and cover with cling film for 5 minutes. Peel away and discard the skin before chopping coarsely.

Blend or process capsicum with vegetable juice, vinegar, Tabasco, garlic and half of the celery, onion, tomato and cucumber until smooth. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl, cover and refrigerate for about an hour until cold. Refrigerate the remaining half of the vegetables.

Divide the soup among serving dishes, top each with the reserved chopped vegetables just before serving. Season with salt and black pepper and garnish with a short stick of celery.

Serves 8