Description
This is a base for a very standard, Americanized gazpacho that’s been popular since the 70s.
Ingredients
Scale
- 4 large ripe tomatoes, peeled and seeded
- 1 purple onion
- 3 smallish cucumbers, seeded
- 2 red bell peppers, seeded
- 1 or 2 jalapeno peppers, seeded if desired (more seeds = more heat)
- 3 to 6 cloves garlic, according to how garlicky you want it
- 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 5 tablespoons white wine vinegar (or red wine vinegar)
- salt and pepper to taste
- minced fresh cilantro (optional)
Instructions
- Cut the tomatoes, onion, cucumbers, bell peppers, and jalapeno into chunks, roughly 1 1/1″ square.
- In a food processor fitted with the steel blade, pulse the cucumbers and garlic together several times, until chopped finely. Remove to a large bowl.
- Pulse the onion, bell pepper, and jalapeno together finely, then remove to the bowl.
- Pulse the tomatoes until chopped and juicy, then remove to the bowl.
- Add olive oil, vinegar, salt, pepper, and optional cilantro to the vegetables. Taste, adjust seasonings, and let sit in refrigerator for several hours to develop the flavors.
Notes
I like to group the vegetables according to their hardness when I process them, to avoid mixed textures. For instance, if soft tomatoes are processed along with hard onion, you might end up with tomato soup and big onion chunks that still haven’t broken down instead of a more consistently textured chop. But if you want a smoothly pureed salsa, you can certainly process the vegetables in any combination.
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 20 mins