East-Meets-West cucumber gazpacho
Most gazpachos are red. Feeling adventuresome, I found a green one.
The recipe called for "English" cucumbers. I am not sure whether using them really matters or not but I used some of those and also some normal cucumbers from my backyard garden on the west coast.
This chilled soup is very refreshing and easy to make. Unlike surgery where what you do inside matters, how you chop the cucumbers doesn't as they all go into a blender anyway. It's actually kind of liberating to just chop them up however you want.
A little red relish on top provides a nice contrast and tastes good. If you have some leftover piquillo peppers from the last time you made paella, you can use those. I think roasted red peppers would work also though not be at all spicy. The soup itself has a little heat so it shouldn't matter.
Servings: 8
Ingredients
- 4 cucumbers, or enough to make 4 cups chopped up after peeling and seeding
- 1 clove garlic
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1 cup ice water
- 1/2 cup white wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/4 cup chopped piquillo peppers
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil, mint or both
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
- Salt to taste and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Directions
- For the soup, put half of everything into a blender. Blend until smooth. Transfer to a bowl.
- Do the same with the rest.
- Chill for at least an hour.
- Mix the relish ingredients and let sit for at least a half-hour.
- Sprinkle a little of this in the center of each bowl of soup. Some will sink but enough will stay visible to be beautiful.
Nutrition Information (per serving)
- Calories: 152
- Total fat: 15 g
- Saturated fat: 2 g
- Trans fat: 0 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
- Total carbohydrate: 2 g
- Dietary fiber: 1 g
- Sodium: 441 mg
- Protein: 1 g