When you think Summer, you normally do not think of soup. However, this hot season is the perfect time of year for Gazpacho due to is refreshing qualities and cold serving temperature!
A traditional gazpacho is tomato based. However, you will see many modern variations that omit tomatoes and use seasonal vegetables, meat stock and even seafood!
My gazpacho recipe is based more on the traditional gazpacho using fresh roma tomatoes. I prefer the roma tomato as it has fewer seeds than other tomato and is easy to find at your local grocer this time of year. This powerful little fruit, yes it is a fruit, also contains carotene lycopene. Lycopene is one of the most powerful antioxidants and has been rumored to help protect against the sun’s harmful UV rays, which all have seen a lot of this Summer!
When making croutons for the gazpacho, I always recommend using a ciabatta bread. The airiness of the ciabatta helps to provide a better crunch for your croutons! Surprisingly,the ever so popular ciabatta was not introduced into the United States bakers until 1987!
| Gazpacho with Ciabatta Croutons | |||
| Ingredients: | Amount | Unit | |
| Cucumber, peeled & seeded | 1 | each | |
| Red Bell Pepper | 2 | each | |
| Green Bell Pepper | 2 | each | |
| Red Onion, medium | 1 | each | |
| Garlic Cloves | 3 | each | |
| Roma Tomato | 6 | each | |
| Basil, chopped | 1 | Tbsp | |
| Parsley, chopped | 2 | Tbsp | |
| Cilantro, chopped | 1 | Tbsp | |
| Tomato Juice | 2 | cups | |
| Tobasco | 1 | tsp | |
| Kosher Salt | to taste | ||
| Ground Black Pepper | to taste | ||
| Croutons: | |||
| Cibatta Bread, 1″ dice | 2 | cups | |
| Olive Oil | 2 | tsp | |
| Kosher Salt | 1/4 | tsp | |
| Ground Black Pepper | 1/4 | tsp | |
| Chili Powder | 1/4 | tsp | |
| Instructions: | |||
| 1. Rough chop all vegetables. | |||
| 2. Incorporate all soup ingredients in a blender or use an immersion blender and process until almost smooth. (do not over process, leave some texture for the palate) Chill soup until service. | |||
| 3. Place ciabatta bread on a sheet tray and drizzle with olive oil. | |||
| 4. Lightly dust the bread with the seasonings. | |||
| 5. Place in 325° pre-heated oven for 15-20 minutes. | |||
| 6. Remove croutons from oven and let cool to room temperature. | |||
| 7. Ladle your chilled gazpacho into a cup or bowl and garnish with your ciabatta croutons. | |||
Happy & Healthy Cooking,
Chef Nick
