Grilled Tomato Gazpacho | Spanish Soup | Easy Soup Recipes

Inspiration comes from so many unknown corners. I had happily cooked and scheduled a different post for Alphabet S as part of the World Blogging Marathon. Till dear husband presented me this wonderful all-veggie-recipe book by Ritu Dalmia. Aptly called “Diva Green” it’s a treasure trove of vegetarian (some vegan) recipes from across the world. More on the book review later…

Wanting to make the most of the present, the enthu-cook in me set out to hunt recipes that would suit my larder and factor in a dash of health too. I have a thing for roasted / Grilled stuff – bell peppers, tomatoes, broccoli : the smoky earthiness that wafts out is very comforting. Naturally, I was looking for something that would be a meal by itself, considering I would be cooking it for an early brunch for myself. I picked this really cool and yummy Grilled Tomato Gazpacho - a Spanish speciality soup. I had made a cucumber gazpacho earlier, and we all loved it.

     Wiki tells me : "Spanish cuisine is a way of preparing varied dishes, which is enriched by the culinary contributions of the various regions that make up the country. It is a cuisine influenced by the people who, throughout history, have conquered the territory of that country. Therefore you have the following types of cuisine within Spain itself, each drawing from local and cultural influences.  Andalucian, Aragon, Asturain, Balearic, Basque, Canary Islands, Cantabria,  Castille and Leon, Catalonian, GAlican, Madrid, Murciam, Navarre, Valencian"

Andalusian cuisine is twofold: rural and coastal. Of all the Spanish regions, this region uses the most olive oil in its cuisine. The dish that has achieved the most international fame is Gazpacho. It is a kind of cold soup made with five vegetables, bread, vinegar, water, salt and olive oil. Other cold soups include: pulley, Zoque, salmorejo, etc.

My elder kid is a huge fan of tomato soups, and I was hoping she would enjoy the chilled version too. I followed the recipe to the T and served it along with some roasted veggies and French garlic bread for a super filling supper.

If you are fond of chilled soups, recommend this highly.  On my part, I loved it, and would be making this very often, as well as dig out other gems from my latest cookbook !

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Country : Spain
Dish : Grilled Tomato Gazpacho
Served : Roasted bread, Veggies on the side

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Prep time - 15 mins | cook time - 15 mins
Chilling time - min ½ hour
Serves : 4

Ingredients:

• Ripe Tomatoes - 350 gm (about 5-6 large)
• Red Pepper - ½ (deseeded)
• Cucumber - ½ no (diced)
• Onion - ½ - cubed
• Garlic  pods - 2 (minced)
• Almonds (soaked) - 1 TBSP
• Bread - 2 slices, trimmed and coasrsely chopped
• Salt & Pepper - to taste
• Balsamic Vinegar - 1 TBSP
• Olive Oil - 2 TBSP
• Vegetable Stock - 3 cups

Garnish :

• Cream - 1 TBSP
• Dried herbs - ½ tsp

Served with:

• Herbed Potato Slices, Roasted Veggies and Toasted Bread

Method:

1. Pre heat oven to 200 C
2. Place the whole tomatoes wrapped in foil and roast till the skin blisters (approx. 12-13 mins - depending on how juicy the tomatoes are). Deskin, deseed and roughly chop the pulp.
3. In a large bowl, combine all the veggies (cucumbers, tomatoes, bell peppers), bread chunks, vinegar, almond, stock, garlic and onions. Season with half the salt and pepper. Chill for 30-45 mins.
4. Blitz the mixture in batches till you get a smooth puree. You may strain or serve as it is (chilled again before serving)
5.  Garnish with cream and / or olive oil and serve with veggies on the side

Quick tip to make roasted veggies - I wrapped a couple of bell peppers and potatoes along with the tomatoes.  Once your soup is chilling, cut the veggies into desired shapes, sauté for 1 min in 1 tsp of olive oil, cumin, a dash of paprika and salt. Season the veggies with lime juice if desired and serve immediately with warm toasted bread and chilled Gazpacho

 Lets check what the other Marathoners have dished out today....

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