Gazpacho Recipe (Simple & Delicious!) - Simple Joy (2024)

FAQs

How do you get the bitterness out of gazpacho? ›

— the acidity in gazpacho can sometimes give off a bitterness depending on the type of tomatoes used or the time of year. The quick fix? Simply add in a little bit of sugar to neutralize the acid.

Gazpacho is a classic cold Spanish soup, perfect for sweltering summer days. It's traditionally made with fresh tomatoes, cucumbers, red onion, and garlic. For this version, we are including even more fresh garden vegetables and spicing up the soup with some Tabasco and Worcestershire sauce.

While a gustatorily stultifying purée of tomatoes and tomato juice is lipstick-red, real gazpacho falls somewhere between pink and orange, thanks to the olive oil, bread, and nuts. But you can trick the eye by adding a nice green garnish. (Fresh herbs are fine, but avocado is better.)

Adding bread (see above) can help. But I didn't sweat it, because a quick whir with my immersion (stick) blender brought everything back together. You could also pour the soup into a regular blender for a touch-up. To me, that small extra step is worth keeping this gazpacho around for leftovers.

Citrus fruits: Lemon, lime, and orange can add a tangy and acidic flavor that can counteract bitterness. Squeeze some fresh lemon or lime juice over your dish or incorporate citrus zest to brighten the flavors. Sweeteners: Adding a touch of sweetness can help mask bitterness.

Sweetness: From sugar, honey, fruits or otherwise, sweetness will counteract bitter and sour flavours. It can also be used to cut down the heat of a particularly spicy meal. Saltiness: Salt plays two very important roles in flavouring a dish. Firstly, it balances against bitterness.

Although it's often okay to leave on tomato skins when cooking them, they are too fibrous to slurp in soup form. To remove the skins, mark a small "X" on the bottom, gently lower them into boiling water for 30 seconds, then shock in ice water. The skins will slip right off, and you can proceed with the gazpacho recipe.

Like most foods, it's good for two or three days, maybe one more, as far as food safety is concerned. But safety aside, gazpacho relies on freshness for the best flavor. If you want to keep it more than two days, you're probably better off freezing it.

Nutrient-Rich: Gazpacho is typically made with fresh, raw vegetables such as tomatoes, bell peppers, cucumbers, and onions. These ingredients offer a variety of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, contributing to a nutrient-rich meal.

Make It Ahead (But Not Too Far in Advance) Making the chilled soup at least an hour before serving allows all of its flavors to meld together. Don't make it too far in advance than overnight, however, or the soup will start to sour.

How long does homemade gazpacho last? ›

Because it lacks the preserving benefits of cooking, the freshness of the ingredients directly impacts its longevity. Typically, homemade gazpacho can last for 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator if stored properly in an airtight container to prevent oxidation and contamination from other foods.

Roasted chickpeas, croutons, chopped hard boiled eggs, and avocado would be delicious toppings too. Round out the meal with good crusty bread, socca, or avocado toast. For a heartier meal, serve this easy gazpacho with grilled vegetables and romesco sauce, your favorite protein, or a summer veggie frittata.

Substitute with white wine vinegar, red wine vinegar or champagne vinegar. Apple cider vinegar will also work but a wee bit sharper. Extra virgin olive oil – As with the sherry vinegar, the more you pay, the better the quality.

Absolutely! You can make batches of gazpacho, place in airtight containers, freezer bags or even ice cube trays and freeze for 3 to 6 months. To thaw, place in the refrigerator the night before and let thaw slowly (do not try to speed up the process in any other way).

If you're making gazpacho and don't have tomato juice, you can use a combination of blended fresh tomatoes, red bell peppers, cucumber, and a splash of vinegar as a substitute. This mixture will still give your gazpacho the desired tomato-like base and refreshing flavor.

Add Some Baking Soda

If your tomato sauce is too acidic and verging on bitter, turn to baking soda, not sugar. Yes, sugar might make the sauce taste better, but good old baking soda is an alkaline that will help balance the excess acid. A little pinch should do the trick.

It may not seem intuitive but adding salt is usually a better way to reduce bitterness than adding sugar. I would also suggest that you do not sauté your garlic until burnt as that will add a quite unpleasant bitterness. Sauté until fragrant. Thanks, I'll try some salt with the next meal.

And while salt can enhance sweet, sour, and umami flavours, it tends to reduce our perception of bitterness. “Bitter tastants activate our bitter taste receptors, signalling to our brain that we consumed something bitter,” Sara says. “Salt, and more precisely, sodium ions, activate salt receptors on our palate.”

In most cases, perceived bitterness was suppressed by salts, although the degree of suppression varied. In general, bitterness suppression was not accompanied by an equivalent reciprocal suppression of saltiness.