roasted gazpacho

This roasted gazpacho is utterly delicious and so wonderfully summery I just had to share it with you.

If truth be told, I’m not really a fan of raw onion, garlic and tomato.  It just doesn’t sit well with my digestion, so when a Spanish friend of mine told me that in some regions of Spain they actually roast the vegetables first before making gazpacho I just knew I was going to love this twist on the classic chilled soup.

• 6 medium vine tomatoes – roughly chopped
• 1 red onion – peeled and quartered
• 8 cloves of garlic
• 2 stalks of celery – chopped
• 1/4 fennel bulb – chopped (optional – you could replace with green pepper)
• salt and pepper
• olive oil
• balsamic vinegar
• dried oregano
• fresh oregano
• 1/2 cucumber – peeled and chopped
• 1/2 litre vegetable stock (make this ahead and let it go cold)
• extra olive oil / lemon olive oil
• freshly squeezed lemon
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

Equipment

you will need a large roasting tin and a blender / smoothy maker / immersion blender

time to cook

pre-heat the oven to 180C (fan) / 356F

Place all the veg (apart from the cucumber) onto the baking sheet and drizzle with a generous glug of olive oil and a splash or two of balsamic vinegar.  Season with salt and pepper and sprinkle with both fresh and dried oregano.  I used roughly 3 stalks of oregano.  Mix well and roast for roughly 15 minutes or until beginning to colour.  Set aside to cool by at least half. (30 mins)

Once the tray of vegetables is cool spoon them into the blender, along with all the herbs and juices.

Add the chopped cumber, half the stock and the herbs.  Drizzle in a tablespoon of olive oil – I used Pomora Olive Oil and / or  a squeeze of lemon juice.  Blend until smooth.  Taste and check the thickness.  If you like it nice and thick then you’re good to go, if you like it thinner then whizz in some more stock.

Pour into a bowl and place in the fridge for at least two hours or until chilled.

Serve with cubes of cucumber and pickled cucumber.

For more chilled soup recipes, check these out on Dom in the Kitchen.

Eat and of course, enjoy!