Here's a few recipes for Gazpacho, the creamy tomato soup usually served chilled.
Creamy Gazpacho Andaluz
From Cook's Illustrated. Why this recipe works:
The key to fresh tomato flavor in our creamy gazpacho Andaluz recipe was salting the tomatoes and letting them sit to release more flavor. We then followed the same process with the other vegetables—cucumber, bell pepper, and onion—and soaked the bread, which we used to thicken the soup, in the exuded vegetable juices. A final dash of olive oil and sherry vinegar further brightened the flavor of our gazpacho, and a diced-vegetable garnish made our creamy gazpacho recipe look as fresh as it tasted.
NOTE: For ideal flavor, allow the gazpacho to sit in the refrigerator overnight before serving. Red wine vinegar can be substituted for the sherry vinegar. Although we prefer to use kosher salt in this soup, half the amount of table salt can be used. Serve the soup with additional extra-virgin olive oil, sherry vinegar, ground black pepper, and diced vegetables for diners to season and garnish their own bowls as desired.
Ingredients
3 pounds (about 6 medium) ripe tomatoes, cored
1 small cucumber, peeled, halved, and seeded
1 medium green bell pepper, halved, cored and seeded
1 small red onion, peeled and halved
2 medium garlic cloves, peeled and quartered
1 small serrano chile, stemmed and halved lengthwise
Kosher salt (see note)
1 slice high-quality white sandwich bread, crust removed, torn into 1-inch pieces
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for serving
2 tablespoons sherry vinegar, plus extra for serving (see note)
2 tablespoons finely minced parsley, chives, or basil leaves
Ground black pepper
Instructions
1. Roughly chop 2 pounds of tomatoes, half of cucumber, half of bell pepper, and half of onion and place in large bowl. Add garlic, chile, and 1½ teaspoons salt; toss until well combined. Set aside.
2. Cut remaining tomatoes, cucumber, and pepper into ¼-inch dice; place vegetables in medium bowl. Mince remaining onion and add to diced vegetables. Toss with ½ teaspoon salt and transfer to fine-mesh strainer set over medium bowl. Set aside 1 hour.
3. Transfer drained diced vegetables to medium bowl and set aside. Add bread pieces to exuded liquid (there should be about ¼ cup) and soak 1 minute. Add soaked bread and any remaining liquid to roughly chopped vegetables and toss thoroughly to combine.
4. Transfer half of vegetable-bread mixture to blender and process 30 seconds. With blender running, slowly drizzle in ¼ cup oil and continue to blend until completely smooth, about 2 minutes. Strain soup through fine-mesh strainer into large bowl, using back of ladle or rubber spatula to press soup through strainer. Repeat with remaining vegetable-bread mixture and 1/4 cup olive oil.
5. Stir vinegar, minced herb, and half of diced vegetables into soup and season to taste with salt and black pepper. Cover and refrigerate overnight or for at least 2 hours to chill completely and develop flavors. Serve, passing remaining diced vegetables, olive oil, sherry vinegar, and black pepper separately.
Jose Andres's Gazpacho
This one is from the WP. They say it can be served as an hors d'oeuvre in small glasses, or as a starter or main course. Use a good-quality sherry vinegar. They also say that gazpacho is traditionally strained but they prefer it simply pureed.
Ingredients
For the Gazpacho
2 pounds plum or Roma tomatoes, cut into quarters
1 medium cucumber, peeled and cut into chunks (seeded or seedless) cucumber
1/2 green bell pepper, seeded and coarsely chopped
1 clove garlic
2 tablespoons sherry vinegar, or more as needed (see headnote)
1/2 cup water
3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 to 2 teaspoons kosher salt
For Optional Garnish
Rustic white bread, griddled in a skillet with olive oil or brushed with olive oil and broiled (whole or torn into croutons)
12 cherry tomatoes, each cut into halves or quarters
1 medium cucumber, preferably seedless, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 tablespoons finely chopped red onion or shallot
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Coarse sea salt
Instructions
1. For the gazpacho: Combine the Roma or plum tomatoes, cucumber, green bell pepper, garlic, vinegar and water in a blender or food processor; puree until the mixture becomes a thick liquid. (If your blender or food processor is not big enough to hold everything at once, you can start by blending some of the tomatoes with the water and vinegar.) Taste for acidity (this will vary with the sweetness of the tomatoes) and add more vinegar, as needed.
2. Stop to add the oil and the kosher salt (to taste; start with 1 teaspoon). Puree again briefly until thoroughly incorporated. Taste again, add more salt, as needed. Transfer to a container; cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes (and up to 1 day), until well chilled.
3. For the optional garnishes: Divide the croutons, cherry tomatoes, cucumber and/or red onion or shallot among individual bowls.
4. At the table, pour the chilled gazpacho over each portion of garnishes, if using, or divide the gazpacho among the bowls. Drizzle with sherry vinegar and the oil. Season lightly with sea salt.
5. Serve right away.