The mercury hit triple digits again yesterday and the last thing that I wanted for dinner was soup…… or was it? A refreshing, crisp, clean gazpacho sounded just about right! We found some amazing heirloom tomatoes and couldn’t think of a better way to use them. (Side note: I love that they don’t look like they were created in a lab somewhere by a “farmer” in a white coat!)
This recipe is very flexible based on what you like, what you find at your local farmers market, what’s still in your fridge from last weeks farmers market, etc.! We decided to use a poblano pepper, a red bell pepper, some tomatillos from my garden, garlic, red onion and cucumber.
We dry roasted the peppers, garlic, red onion and tomatillo for a few minutes just enough to add a smoky flavor to the gazpacho.
Oh, and our secret ingredient???? Toasted Marcona almonds. I love that not only did they make a great thickener for the soup, they added an incredible nutty, smoky flavor. And, the leftover almonds make a great snack!
The beauty of this soup is that it is pretty difficult to mess up! Basically everything gets blended together, chilled in the fridge and then topped with an easy to make avocado cream sauce and a cucumber relish! Enjoy!!!
GAZPACHO
serves 4 as a main course
Ingredients:
2 large heirloom tomatoes
1/2 cucumber, peeled
1 poblano pepper
1 red bell pepper
1/2 red onion, cut into wedges
3 cloves of garlic
1/4 cup Marcona Almonds
1 TBS olive oil
1 TBS apple cider vinegar
2 TBS white wine vinegar
1 tsp lemon zest
Salt / Pepper to taste
Garnishes:
Avocado Cream (1 avocado, juice from 1 lime, 1/2 cup water – blend until smooth)
Cucumber relish (finely chopped cucumber, tomato, and red onion)
Toasted Marcona Almonds
Instructions:
In a cast iron pan over medium high heat, dry roast both peppers, red onion, tomatillos and garlic (leave skin on garlic) for about 5-7 minutes, turning often. Remove from heat and let cool slightly. Remove skin from garlic, and stems / seeds from peppers. In the same pan, add Marcona almonds and toast until golden brown (Be Careful! They can burn if you don’t watch them carefully!!) Remove from the pan and cool slightly. Add all ingredients to blender and blend until smooth. Once the soup reaches the desired consistency ( you can always add more almonds for a thicker soup, or a little water for a thinner consistency), put the soup in a container and refrigerate for at least 3 hours. To serve, ladle chilled soup into bowls, drizzle with some avocado cream, and top with the cucumber relish!
