Traditional Andalusian gazpacho recipe

 Easy, refreshing and nutritious, gazpacho is one of the star dishes of the summer. Although in the world of gazpachos the recipes are endless, here we propose the recipe for the typical Andalusian gazpacho with pepper, tomatoes , cucumber and garlic . There are recipes that include carrots, others that remove the skin and seeds from tomatoes, there are those with apples and cucumbers, Manchego gazpachos and there are also watermelon and strawberry gazpachos . The roots of this dish are very old, and curiously, originally the gazpacho did not contain vegetables of any kind, but consisted of bread soaked in water, oil and vinegar , to which garlic or almonds were sometimes added. In Al-Andalus Spain this type of gazpacho was already consumed. However, the most specific reference to what is today the current Andalusian gazpacho takes us back to the 16th century, when tomatoes and peppers, two of the fundamental ingredients of gazpacho, came from America. It was mainly consumed by Andalusian peasants, and it was in the 19th century that gazpacho also began to become popular among the bourgeois class, who gave them the custom of serving it with pieces of bread or small pieces of vegetables.

ingredients:

• 1 kilo of ripe tomatoes
  
  
• 1 green pepper Italian type (if it is very big put half)
  
  
• 1 cucumber
  
  
• 1 clove of garlic (or more depending on taste)
  
  
• 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
  
  
• 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
  
  
• 1 teaspoon of salt

How to prepare:

1. Wash the tomatoes, cucumber, bell pepper and onion well. Let drain
   
   
2. Cut the vegetables into squares
   
   
3. Place the chopped tomatoes in the blender glass (if you don't have one, you can add everything to a pot and use an automatic hand blender)
   
   
4. Remove the stem and seeds from the pepper , cut it into pieces and put it with the tomatoes.
   
   
5. Peel the garlic clove and put it with the rest of the vegetables.
   
   
6. When all the vegetables from the gazpacho are in the blender glass, put it into operation (well covered) and leave it running until there are no pieces of vegetables left (the time will depend on the power of the blender)
   
   
7. Add the salt, oil, and vinegar. And rectify to taste . If the gazpacho has the right consistency, go to the next step, if not, you can add cold water until it is to your liking. You should also bear in mind that if you water the gazpacho too much, the flavor will be lowered and you may have to rectify the salt and vinegar.
   
   
8. Put in the fridge and serve cold

Tips for Gazpacho:

1. If you prefer to take the gazpacho without seeds, you just have to beat the tomato very well separately , pass the puree through a strainer or a metal Chinese and put the tomato back in the blender. Then you can continue with the recipe adding the other ingredients.
   
   
2. You can prepare the gazpacho with bread . Like salmorejo, gazpacho admits bread as the main ingredient.
   
   
3. If the gazpacho is more orange than red, there is an explanation. If you use salad tomatoes you will not get the proper flavor or color and if you remove the skin from the tomato, the gazpacho will also lose some color.
   
   
4. To get a tasty gazpacho, it is essential that you choose quality, ripe tomatoes .