Gazpacho, The story of

Gazpacho is a soup. Gazpacho is a salad. Gazpacho is blended, diced, spicy, refreshing, and countless other descriptives. There are many ways to make this traditional Spanish soup/salad, one of my favorite being to chop up a bunch of vegetables, mix them with some spice and let soak in its own juices.

This soup is most popular during warmer months. It's typically eaten cold and the amount of spiciness is up to you.

Many people think that gazpacho is just a Spanish version of tomato and vegetable soup. It's not necessarily the case. Gazpacho is traditionally served with bread on the bottom, olive oil, garlic, and vinegar, among other vegetables. Tomatoes and peppers weren't even brought to Europe until after Columbus' fateful trip.

One way to get spice into gazpacho is to use dried pepper. I use ancho, chipotle, or japone. Depending on the season, you might be able to find some fresh habaneros or serranos. Bell peppers are always available, especially during the summer, when your local farmers markets will have them cheap. If you find you've added too much spice, you might want to serve it with more bread or a healthy dose of cilantro or mint. Cilantro and mint not only provide good contrast of flavor but they are traditional Mestizo spices, too. Represent.

This is the recipe I tried:
4 roma tomatoes, diced
2 cups sweet corn
2 cups assorted bell peppers, diced
1 medium red onion, diced
1 medium cucumber, sliced
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1 Tablespoon cilantro, chopped
A few stalks of celery (note: better to go easy on this as too much will be bitter)
3 cups stale bread, cubed

Mix everything but the bread cubes together and put it in a large bowl. If you want the flavors to be less pronounced, with less contrast, let the gazpacho sit in the fridge overnight. When you serve the gazpacho, put the breadcubes in the bowl first and spoon the vegetables opn top.

Gazpacho goes very well with sangria or a lime rickey.