# In search of the perfect gazpacho **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 28, 2006, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-search-of-the-perfect-gazpacho/366464 "2006-07-28T21:28:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2006, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-search-of-the-perfect-gazpacho/366464/1 "2006-07-28T21:28:52Z")
The soup, not the Doper (whose name explained a lot of very unrelated hits when I first searched the archives šŸ˜‰ ). I have just chowed down on a bowlful from the local grocery store. Their gazpacho is perhaps the most consistently to-my-taste stuff Iā€™ve ever had. However itā€™s quite pricey and only available when the in-store chef decides to make it. Itā€™s chunky, rather than the pureed variety Iā€™ve seen some places, with nice tomatoey / spicy ā€œbrothā€, and just a hint of sweetness. I had some recently from Trader Joeā€™s and it was possibly the _worst_ Iā€™ve ever eaten. It was chunky, yeah, and it was red, but that was the only way it resembled the real stuff. No tomato flavor _whatsoever_, instead it was a nasty, vile, BITTER concoction that I literally could not eat. I have yet to find a recipe that comes even remotely close to producing what Iā€™m jonesing for here. HELP ME šŸ™‚ ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2006, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-search-of-the-perfect-gazpacho/366464/2 "2006-07-28T22:11:45Z")
I like the recipe in Cooks Illustratedā€™s _Best Recipe Book._ Tangy and deep. If itā€™s too chunky and crunchy for your taste, then separate a quarter of it, stick it in the blender for a few seconds, and mix it back in. Also, a good friend made an amazing variation on gazpacho for us a couple of weeks ago. Took the gazpacho base, pureed it into juice, mixed it with gelatin, chilled it, and topped the result with avocado cream. Yum. Apparently he got the idea from a Robuchon recipe. ---
**Author:** ![Karen\_Lingel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/karen_lingel/32/18649_2.png) [@Karen\_Lingel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Karen_Lingel)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2006, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-search-of-the-perfect-gazpacho/366464/3 "2006-07-28T22:42:33Z")
Basic Gazpacho For each meal-sized serving: 1/2 cucumber 1 tomato or 1 small can V-8 or tomato juice. Or some of each. 1/4 bell pepper 1/8 onion 1 tsp vinegar dash worcestershire sauce Run through a food processor or blender. Variations: - Food processor gives coarser results than blender. If you want chunkier, dice some of the vegetables and add them after processing the rest. - Using tomato results in a fluffier soup with more body than using juice. - If you want a nice red gazpacho, peel the cucumber, use red bell pepper and red onion. - Like spicy? Use spicy V-8 or use Tabasco instead of worcestershire sauce. - Like smokey? Smoke or grill the vegetables (including the cuke if you are brave); chill veggies, then make gazpacho. Good idea if you have space on the grill one night: grill your gazpacho veggies for tomorrow. - Replace worcestershire sauce with another secret ingredient of your choice: basil, garlic, jalepeno, ā€¦ - Experiment! Yellow peppers? Fine. Green onions? OK. Roasted red peppers? Knock yourself out. - Gazpacho salad: chop all the vegetables into salad sized pieces. Mix some tomato juice with the vinegar and worcestershire for the dressing. ---
**Author:** ![Mindfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mindfield/32/19759_2.png) [@Mindfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mindfield)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2006, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-search-of-the-perfect-gazpacho/366464/4 "2006-07-28T23:11:24Z")
I could never bring myself to try Gazpacho soup. I have this slightly OCD propriety issue with hot and cold things; cold things need to be cold and hot things need to be hot, and a soup served cold offends my sense of propriety and squicks me out a little. Even though it sounds good. Damnit. Plus. I canā€™t think of Gazpacho soup without thinking of Red Dwarf. ---
**Author:** ![YWalker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/6f9a4e/32.png) [@YWalker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YWalker)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2006, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-search-of-the-perfect-gazpacho/366464/5 "2006-07-28T23:36:06Z")
Hereā€™s the recipe I use: 6 cups coarsely chopped tomato (about 3 lb) 32 oz bottle low sodium tomato juice (I usually use spicy V-8 juice) 2 cups coarsely chopped peeled cucumber (about 2 medium) 1-1/2 cups chopped green bell pepper 1-1/4 cup finely chopped Vidalia or other sweet onion 1 cup finely chopped celery 1 Tbsp olive oil 1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar 1 Tbsp basil vinegar 1 Tbsp rice vinegar (or, just use 3 Tbsp total of whatever vinegar you like) 3/4 tsp salt Ā½ tsp pepper Ā½ tsp hot sauce 3 cloves garlic, minced Combine all ingredients in a large bowl; stir well and chill. (The soup, not you. Or, if you prefer, you can chill until the soup is chilled.) ---
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2006, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-search-of-the-perfect-gazpacho/366464/6 "2006-07-28T23:45:20Z")
For Christā€™s sweet sake, USE CHICKEN STOCK! REAL stock, and make your own if you can! Youā€™re never going to find the ā€œperfectā€ gazpacho without real, quality stock, nor any other soup worth eating! ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Tan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/charlie_tan/32/12582_2.png) [@Charlie\_Tan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Tan)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2006, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-search-of-the-perfect-gazpacho/366464/7 "2006-07-28T23:47:43Z")
There are about as many versions as there are Spaniards, i.e. you have to try to figure it out for yourself. I have my own mix, but it wouldnā€™t suit your preferences. Iā€™ll share it anyway. Itā€™ll take some time to prepare. Day 1. 1. Roast a red pepper (paprika). When itā€™s all black, let cool and then rinse under running water, leaving only the red part. Remove stem, seeds ASF. 2. Take two fresh tomatoes and boil them, with a slight cross etched to the skin. Peel the tomates and rinse from seeds. 3.Chop an onion and let it it sit under salted water for at least 24h. Drain the next day. Day 2. Peel a cucumber, throw it in a blender and mix it with the stuff you prepared the day before with two cloves of garlic, red wine vinegar, virgin olive oil, salt, freshly ground black pepper. Mix two parts of veggie mush with one part of ice cold carbonated mineral water. Pour over ice cubes in a bowl. Enjoy. ---
**Author:** ![Rachael\_Rage](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/71c47a/32.png) [@Rachael\_Rage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachael_Rage)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2006, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-search-of-the-perfect-gazpacho/366464/8 "2006-07-29T00:29:06Z")
> [@Cervaise](#): > > I like the recipe in Cooks Illustratedā€™s _Best Recipe Book._ Tangy and deep. If itā€™s too chunky and crunchy for your taste, then separate a quarter of it, stick it in the blender for a few seconds, and mix it back in. **Cervaise** , can you share (or email to me if posting it violates board rules)? Is Cookā€™s Illustrated the one where they try several different recipes and then share the one they think is the best? If so, I made their ā€œbest gazpachoā€ recipe several times and indeed it was amazing. I remember that it involved a touch of sherry vinegar, and suggested a slight drizzle of olive oil upon serving. A few years ago I lost the recipe, much to my dismay. Iā€™d love to have it again. And, based on the OPā€™s criteria, it would serve her purposes too. **Argent Towers** : uh, chicken stock? In _gazpacho_? šŸ˜• This sounds just plain icky. The tomato juice works just fine, IMO. ---
**Author:** ![YWalker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/6f9a4e/32.png) [@YWalker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YWalker)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2006, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-search-of-the-perfect-gazpacho/366464/9 "2006-07-29T00:53:49Z")
> [@Argent Towers](#): > > For Christā€™s sweet sake, USE CHICKEN STOCK! REAL stock, and make your own if you can! Chicken stock? In gazpacho? Donā€™t serve it to your vegetarian friends. They sure wonā€™t be expecting it. ---
**Author:** ![Dijon\_Warlock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a9a28c/32.png) [@Dijon\_Warlock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dijon_Warlock)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2006, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-search-of-the-perfect-gazpacho/366464/10 "2006-07-29T01:16:58Z")
> [@Darth Vader's Little Pal](#): > > **Cervaise** , can you share (or email to me if posting it violates board rules)? Is Cookā€™s Illustrated the one where they try several different recipes and then share the one they think is the best? If so, I made their ā€œbest gazpachoā€ recipe several times and indeed it was amazing. I remember that it involved a touch of sherry vinegar, and suggested a slight drizzle of olive oil upon serving. You didnā€™t ask me, but I can tell you that the answer is YES. Cookā€™s Illustrated magazine is done by the same people that produce the PBS show ā€œAmericaā€™s Test Kitchen,ā€ and they do exactly that: try the recipe dozens of times with minor variations to find the best way to cook everything. Hereā€™s their website, if it helps: [http://www.americastestkitchen.com/](http://www.americastestkitchen.com/) ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2006, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-search-of-the-perfect-gazpacho/366464/11 "2006-07-29T01:37:37Z")
The perfect gazpacho is pretty much whatever suits your palette. Gazpacho can be made with almost anything, including peppers, cukes, corn, tomatoes and even potatoes. Try it however it sounds appealing to you and adjust the ingredients to suit you. ---
**Author:** ![Lama\_Pacos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Lama\_Pacos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lama_Pacos)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2006, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-search-of-the-perfect-gazpacho/366464/12 "2006-07-29T02:25:56Z")
> [@](#): > > Chicken stock? In gazpacho? > > Donā€™t serve it to your vegetarian friends. They sure wonā€™t be expecting it. Yeah, Iā€™m really hoping gazpacho Iā€™ve had in the past didnā€™t have surprise chicken in it. I usually ask about soups, but Iā€™ve always assumed gazpacho to be inherently vegetarian. ---
**Author:** ![devilsknew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4da419/32.png) [@devilsknew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/devilsknew)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2006, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-search-of-the-perfect-gazpacho/366464/13 "2006-07-29T04:23:30Z")
Iā€™ve never made it, never actually had itā€¦ but I thought Iā€™d devise a recipe. This is how Iā€™d make it. The only problem with my recipe is that you need a juicer (incidentally, a juicer is something I donā€™t have either, but hereā€™s a chance to use em if you got em.). **Pantry Gazpacho** 1 46 oz. container of V8 Vegetable juice 6 roma tomatoes seeded and diced 2 cucumbers (half of one cucumber peeled seeded and diced) 2 Red Bell Peppers (One pepper roasted, peeled, and seeded) 5 cloves of Garlic 2 Tblsp. of Vietnamese Chili Garlic Sauce (Tuong Ot Toi Viet-Nam) dash of Tabasco 1 tablespoon salt or to taste Generous grinding of fresh Pepper Add V8 to a large bowl along with the 6 diced tomatoes, 1/2 diced cucumber, and 1 chopped roasted red pepper. Put The remaing cucumber, fresh red pepper, and garlic cloves through a juicer. Add the juice to your gazpacho base. Add Garlic Chili Sauce, tabasco, Salt and Pepper to taste. Refrigerate overnight and put out to serve a little early. Best to serve Gazpacho a little closer to room temperature, I would imagine. Iā€™m sure it would help the flavors pop! Garnish with garlicky croutons, if so desired. ---
**Author:** ![Rachael\_Rage](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/71c47a/32.png) [@Rachael\_Rage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachael_Rage)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2006, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-search-of-the-perfect-gazpacho/366464/14 "2006-07-29T04:43:06Z")
> [@Dijon Warlock](#): > > You didnā€™t ask me, but I can tell you that the answer is YES. Cookā€™s Illustrated magazine is done by the same people that produce the PBS show ā€œAmericaā€™s Test Kitchen,ā€ and they do exactly that: try the recipe dozens of times with minor variations to find the best way to cook everything. Hereā€™s their website, if it helps: [http://www.americastestkitchen.com/](http://www.americastestkitchen.com/) Thatā€™s it! Thank you, **Dijon** , thank you! I recommend this recipe to everyone. ---
**Author:** ![devilsknew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4da419/32.png) [@devilsknew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/devilsknew)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2006, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-search-of-the-perfect-gazpacho/366464/15 "2006-07-29T05:09:13Z")
> [@devilsknew](#): > > Iā€™ve never made it, never actually had itā€¦ but I thought Iā€™d devise a recipe. This is how Iā€™d make it. The only problem with my recipe is that you need a juicer (incidentally, a juicer is something I donā€™t have either, but hereā€™s a chance to use em if you got em.). > > **Pantry Gazpacho** > > 1 46 oz. container of V8 Vegetable juice > 6 roma tomatoes seeded and diced > 2 cucumbers (half of one cucumber peeled seeded and diced) > 2 Red Bell Peppers (One pepper roasted, peeled, and seeded) > 5 cloves of Garlic > 2 Tblsp. of Vietnamese Chili Garlic Sauce (Tuong Ot Toi Viet-Nam) > dash of Tabasco > 1 tablespoon salt or to taste > Generous grinding of fresh Pepper > > Add V8 to a large bowl along with the 6 diced tomatoes, 1/2 diced cucumber, and 1 chopped roasted red pepper. Put The remaing cucumber, fresh red pepper, and garlic cloves through a juicer. Add the juice to your gazpacho base. Add Garlic Chili Sauce, tabasco, Salt and Pepper to taste. Refrigerate overnight and put out to serve a little early. Best to serve Gazpacho a little closer to room temperature, I would imagine. Iā€™m sure it would help the flavors pop! > > Garnish with garlicky croutons, if so desired. Forgot the Vinegar! But itā€™s a happy accident. Put a bottle of sherry vinegar out out for guests to garnish to taste. Kind of like sherry with black bean soup. ---
**Author:** ![Dijon\_Warlock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a9a28c/32.png) [@Dijon\_Warlock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dijon_Warlock)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2006, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-search-of-the-perfect-gazpacho/366464/16 "2006-07-29T05:21:54Z")
> [@Darth Vader's Little Pal](#): > > Thatā€™s it! Thank you, **Dijon** , thank you! I recommend this recipe to everyone. Always happy to help!