Grilled Vegetable Gazpacho
As a soup lover, when the weather heats up, I want cold soups. Gazpacho is my favorite. There are many different variations of this Spanish staple, but one of my favorites is this grilled version.
All of the vegetables are grilled first, to give them that smoky flavor. They are then purรฉed with tomato, lemon and orange juices, some spices, and red wine vinegar. That’s it.
Make a little garnish, grill up some bread and you’re ready for a cold bowl of deliciousness!
Grilling the vegetables gives a lovely flavor to this cold soup. A little smoke, a little char, a little caramelization…
I love the garnish, but it’s even simpler to just slice up some Persian cucumbers to top the soup with.
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Grilled Vegetable Gazpacho
Makes: 10 servings
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Grill Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Ingredients
- 4 large garlic cloves, unpeeledย
- 2 large red bell peppers, cored and quartered
- 2 large yellow bell peppers, cored and quarteredย
- 2 medium zucchini, sliced lengthwise 1/2-inch thickย
- 1 large white onion, cut into 1/2-inch slabsย
- 2 ears of corn, huskedย
- 2 tbsps vegetable oilย
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepperย
- 1 & 1/2 tsp ground cuminย
- 1/2 tsp crushed red pepperย
- 2 cups tomato juiceย
- 1/2 cup fresh orange juiceย
- 3 tbsps fresh lemon juiceย
- 2 tbsps red wine vinegarย
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
Garnish:
- 1/2 pound heirloom cherry tomatoes, quartered
- 2 scallions, thinly sliced
- 1 tbsp minced chives
- 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- Flaky sea salt & freshly ground pepper
- 12 1/2″-thick slices crusty bread
Instructions
Light a grill. Thread the garlic cloves onto a skewer. Lightly brush the garlic, bell peppers, zucchini, onion and corn with the vegetable oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill the vegetables over moderately high heat, turning frequently, until lightly charred and crisp-tender, about 10 minutes. Transfer the peppers to a bowl, cover with plastic and let steam for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, remove the garlic cloves from the skewers, peel them and transfer to a large bowl. Using a large serrated knife, cut the charred corn kernels into the bowl. Peel the peppers and add them to the bowl along with the zucchini, onion, cumin, crushed red pepper, tomato juice, orange juice, lemon juice and vinegar.
Working in batches, puree the vegetable mixture in a blender or food processor (see Chef’s Note). Pour the gazpacho into a clean bowl and season with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate until chilled, about 2 hours.
Just before serving, make the garnish by combining all of the ingredients. Season to taste with flaky sea salt and ground pepper. Let sit.
Heat the grill over high heat. Drizzle the bread with a generous coating of olive oil. Season each side with a pinch of salt. Grill the bread for a minute or two until charred and crisp on both sides.
Stir the cilantro into the gazpacho. Ladle the soup into bowls, garnish with the tomato mixture and serve with grilled bread.
Chef’s Note:
Purรฉe the gazpacho to your desired degree of smoothness. You can leave it chunky or creamy…it’s your choice!
Recipe adapted from Food&Wine
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