Grilled Tomato Gazpacho with Cucumber and Basil
Cuisine: Spanish
Categories: Soups, Healthy Meals & Vegetables
Grilled Tomato Gazpacho with Cucumber and Basil is a refreshing and flavorful twist on the classic chilled Spanish soup. This vibrant dish features ripe tomatoes grilled to perfection, enhancing their natural sweetness and adding a smoky depth. The grilled tomatoes are then blended with crisp cucumbers, fragrant basil, and other traditional gazpacho ingredients like onions, garlic, and peppers, creating a harmonious balance of flavors. This chilled soup is not only delicious but also healthy and hydrating, perfect for warm summer days or as a light and refreshing starter.
Difficulty: EASY
Prep Time: 40 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
Serving Size: 6 servings
Ingredients:
- ⅓ cup olive oil, plus 2 tablespoons
- 4 garlic cloves, peeled and left whole
- 2 lbs plum tomatoes (about 10)
- 2 red bell peppers
- 1 small jalapeño (optional)
- 2 medium red onions, cut horizontally into ½-inch slabs
- ½ English hothouse cucumber, peeled, seeded and chopped (about ⅔ cup)
- 2 tablespoons Sherry wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- Juice and zest of 1 lime
- Salt and pepper
- Garnish with finely diced cucumber, mini cucumber slices, fresh basil, and lime wedge
Directions:
- Preheat grill over medium-high heat.
- Heat ⅓ cup olive oil and garlic cloves in a small skillet over medium-low heat. Cook until the garlic is caramelized and tender, about 5 minutes. Place garlic in a small dish, and pour oil into a measuring cup. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, toss tomatoes, bell peppers, and jalapeño with 1 ½ tablespoons olive oil.
- Place onion slices on a plate and brush both sides with remaining oil. Sprinkle all the vegetables with salt and pepper.
- Grill the tomatoes and onion slices until soft and slightly charred, about 5 minutes per side. Grill the peppers until mostly charred on all sides, about 15 minutes total, turning frequently. Place peppers in a paper bag to steam for 15-20 minutes.
- Peel and seed the peppers. Puree half of the tomatoes, peppers, onions, cucumber, garlic and vinegar in a blender until almost smooth, leaving a little texture.
- Transfer mixture to a large bowl. Repeat with remaining tomatoes, peppers, onions, cucumber, garlic and vinegar, then with motor running stream in garlic-infused oil.
- Pour mixture into bowl with the first batch. Whisk in sugar, lime juice and zest. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Cover gazpacho and chill at least 2 hours or overnight.
- To serve, ladle into bowls or shooter glasses. Top with diced and thinly sliced cucumber, fresh basil, and squeeze of lime.