Caprese Gazpacho

Name: Caprese Gazpacho
Prep time: 15 min
Total time: 15 min
Ingredients: 2 1/4 pounds ripe red tomatoes, stem bit removed and cut into large chunks ((1 kg) (5-6 cups)); 2 medium garlic cloves, crushed and peeled; 2 tablespoons finely chopped shallot; 1 1/4 teaspoons fine sea salt; 1/4 - 1/2 a jalapeño, seeded and minced, or a pinch of cayenne (optional, if you like a bit of heat),; 4 ice cubes; 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, plus more for drizzling ((30 ml) ); 1 tablespoon flavorful olive oil, plus more for drizzling ((15 ml) ); 1 1/2 teaspoons red wine vinegar ((9 ml) ); 2 cups cherry tomatoes, stemmed and halved (or quartered if large) ((275 g) ); 3/4 cup finely diced cucumber ((90 g) ); a large handful basil leaves, finely chopped plus more for garnish ((~1/4 cup) ); a good grating fresh black pepper; 2 containers fresh small mozzarella balls (ciliegine), drained and halved or quartered ((8-ounce / 225 g) ); 1 large avocado, chilled, peeled, pitted and cubed

Published Jul 2, 2015

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Italian salad meets Spanish soup in this icy caprese gazpacho filled with the flavors of balsamic vinegar, basil, fresh mozzarella, and loads of tomatoes. A naturally gluten-free recipe.

Meet my new favorite soup. At least, it will be for approximately 2 more minutes.

See, gazpacho is a warm weather thing – something that doesn't really happen here in San Francisco. When it does, it lasts precisely long enough for me to buy gazpacho ingredients, lug them home, make gazpacho, and chill gazpacho. The moment I pour myself a bowl of icy tomato soup, kissed with chile, herbs and vinegar, Karl the Fog rolls in, laughing his ass off. "How do you like your pathetic cold soup now?" I hear him mocking. (Actually, I love Karl because he's keeping my kitchen at a sensible temperature for baking recipes for my book. But still. We have our moments.)

The last time Karl foiled my gazpacho plans was about 8 years ago. By the time he took off again and let the sun shine in, we opened the container to find the gazpacho frothing and fermented. We promptly threw it out. Racked with guilt at wasting so many precious tomatoes, I hadn't gazpachoed since.

This time, gazpacho and I got to spend one day together. Inspired by the juicy leavings in the bottom of a bowl of a chopped up caprese salad that Jay's been making (milky mozzarella whey, syrupy balsamic vinegar, peppery olive oil, salt and pepper, basil bits, and most importantly plenty of fresh heirloom tomato juice) I whipped up some gazpacho with similar ingredients, adding cucumber, chile and avocado for some traditional flavors and crunch. I tested the recipe yesterday, when my personal assistant (a.k.a., my really awesome niece) was over. We sweltered and drank cocktails as she entered expenses into a spreadsheet and researched cute electric fans for my studio (a.k.a., our living room) and I pureed tomatoes in the kitchen. We sat down to a couple of cool caprese gazpacho bowls and inhaled the revivifying contents.

Today I made a second round of caprese gazpacho in order to tweak a couple of things and take pictures. Like clockwork, the sky clouded up as I put the final touches on the bowls.

Suddenly it was drizzling.

Ah well, this caprese gazpacho is too good to be wasted. Plus it's filled with cheese, so it manages to appeal even on a cooler evening like this one. We accompanied bowls with sweet corn polenta topped with sauteed zucchini and basil pesto, and, shivering, reveled in summer's bounty.

Many gazpacho recipes call for peeling and seeding tomatoes, but I found that this method works better and is a zillion times easier: chop the tomatoes, pulse them in a food processor, then press them through a strainer, working as much of the liquid bits though as you can. The skin and seeds get left behind, leaving you with a silky puree. In go some chopped ingredients and flavorings, and voilà: buon appetito.

Or should I say, "disfrute de su comida?"

More Soup Recipes:

More Caprese Recipes:

*Thanks for reading! For more Bojon Gourmet in your life, follow along on Instagram, Facebook, or Pinterest, purchase my gluten-free cookbook Alternative Baker, or subscribe to receive new posts via email. And if you make this Caprese Gazpacho, I’d love to see. Tag your Instagram snaps @The_Bojon_Gourmet and #bojongourmet.*

5 from 1 vote