If you’ve got a party on the horizon, then you simply must dive into Spanish soup recipes, they’re a delightful way to impress your guests and ensure a memorable gathering.
Since hot days are here to stay, your best option is to try and make a delicious Andalusian cold soup, and the refreshing gazpacho appetizer is the perfect way to beat the heat and impress everyone at the same time.
In this article, you will find all the information that you need on how to serve gazpacho at a party, with the best tips for storing, serving, and customizing this amazing recipe.
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Background of the Dish
The traditional gazpacho was created in Spain in the Middle Ages, combining regional ingredients to provide refreshment during the hot summers that hit the southern part of the country.
As it became a staple food in Andalusia, new ways of making and serving it were created, such as gazpacho shooters.
This is gazpacho served as an appetizer in shot or martini glasses, which also includes some tweaks to the classic recipe by adding tomato juice to concentrate the flavor, making it a perfect dish for parties and gatherings with loved ones.
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Things You’ll Need for Gazpacho Appetizer
To make the recipe for Spanish soup you will need ripe tomatoes, tomato juice, onion, red bell pepper, garlic cloves, olive oil, and stale bread as the main ingredients).
Similar to other Spanish soups, a blender or food processor is required so that it reaches the perfect consistency.
Ingredients
- 6 ripe tomatoes
- 2 cups (480ml) tomato juice
- 1/4 cup (60ml) extra virgin olive oil
- 1 cucumber
- 1 bell pepper (red or green)
- 1 small red onion
- 2 garlic cloves
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 slice of day-old bread
- Salt and pepper (to taste)
- 1 teaspoon sugar (optional, depending on the sweetness of your tomatoes)
- Dash of hot sauce (optional, for extra kick)
How to Make Gazpacho Appetizer – Step by Step Guide
- First, wash all the vegetables thoroughly. Remove the cores and chop the tomatoes into large chunks, discarding any tough parts. Peel the cucumber and chop it into pieces. Slice the bell pepper in half and remove the stem, seeds, and chop it into chunks. Peel the red onion and chop it finely. Finally, peel and mince the garlic cloves.
- After that, grab a blender or food processor and combine the chopped tomatoes, cucumber, bell pepper, onion, and garlic. Blend the cold Spanish tomato soup until smooth. You may need to do this in batches depending on the size of your blender.
- Now that the vegetables are blended, add the tomato juice, olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt, pepper, sugar (if using), and hot sauce (if using). Blend again until everything is well combined.
- At this point in the best gazpacho recipe, you can do some adjusting to the texture. First, if your soup is too thick, you can add a little more tomato juice or water to reach the desired consistency. For a thicker soup, add the slice of day-old bread to the blender and blend until smooth.
- For the next step in this gazpacho shot recipe, transfer the soup to a large bowl or pitcher and cover it. Place it in the fridge to chill for at least 2 hours, or until cold.
- When your gazpacho appetizer reaches the desired consistency, taste it and adjust the seasoning if necessary.
- To finish this recipe, pour the gazpacho into small glasses, such as shots. Optionally, garnish it with diced cucumber, bell pepper, or tomatoes, and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Serve the gazpacho appetizer cold and enjoy.
Substitution of Ingredients
The gazpacho appetizer is not only simple to prepare, but its ingredients are easy to find in any grocery store, and you have room for substitutions to suit your taste or dietary preferences.
Similar to other cold Spanish soup recipes, such as the heirloom tomato gazpacho, you can use any kind of tomato to make this recipe (as long as it is juicy).
The watermelon mint gazpacho is also a great soup for serving it as an appetizer.
If you want to make it more creamy without adding heavy cream, you can follow the lead of the avocado tomato soup and add one cubed avocado to the mix while blending the vegetables, giving the gazpacho appetizer a rich, smooth texture.
Lastly, for a super fresh flavor, you can copy the tomato basil gazpacho by adding a handful of fresh basil leaves to the blend, infusing the soup with a fragrant, herbaceous note.
Tips on Serving Gazpacho Appetizer
As you can guess by its name, the gazpacho appetizer is served as a refreshing prelude to a meal, typically enjoyed chilled on warm days.
If you are hosting a party, this take on the traditional Spanish gazpacho -served on shots- will come in handy for serving as a delightful and cooling appetizer, sure to impress your guests with its vibrant flavors and refreshing taste.
To take them to the next level, you can draw inspiration from other cold soup shots and play with the toppings or experiment with different garnishes to add texture, flavor, and visual appeal.
For example, you can copy the seafood gazpacho or the bacon tomato soup and top this soup with grilled shrimp or prawns, or bacon bits for added savoriness.
Besides that, if you have a large number of guests coming over, then you can prepare other Spanish cold soups to go with this one as appetizers, like the gazpacho verde served in shot or martini glasses for another pop of color.
How to Store Gazpacho Appetizer
Once you finish preparing the authentic Spanish gazpacho, you can either serve it right away or store it in the fridge to enjoy later.
If you choose to store them, place the gazpacho appetizer in an airtight freezer-safe container, and store them for up to 2 days in the fridge.
Before serving, stir the Spanish cold tomato soup around (you might need to blend it again if the ingredients get separated), and adjust the seasoning if needed.
Other Spanish soups recipes that you can make and store for later are the easy tomato juice gazpacho, the refreshing cold courgette soup, and the hearty crab gazpacho
Recipe Card: Gazpacho Appetizer
Simple Gazpacho Appetizer Recipe
If you’ve got a party on the horizon, then you simply must dive into Spanish recipes, they’re a delightful way to impress your guests and ensure a memorable gathering.
Since hot days are here to stay, your best option is to try and make a delicious Andalusian cold soup, and the refreshing gazpacho appetizer is the perfect way to beat the heat and impress everyone at the same time.
In this article, you will find all the information that you need on how to serve gazpacho at a party, with the best tips for storing, serving, and customizing this amazing recipe.
Ingredients
- 6 ripe tomatoes
- 2 cups (480ml) tomato juice
- 1/4 cup (60ml) extra virgin olive oil
- 1 cucumber
- 1 bell pepper (red or green)
- 1 small red onion
- 2 garlic cloves
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 slice of day-old bread
- Salt and pepper (to taste)
- 1 teaspoon sugar (optional, depending on the sweetness of your tomatoes)
- Dash of hot sauce (optional, for extra kick)
Instructions
- Wash all the vegetables thoroughly. Remove the cores and chop the tomatoes into large chunks, discarding any tough parts. Peel the cucumber and chop it into pieces. Slice the bell pepper in half and remove the stem, seeds, and chop it into chunks. Peel the red onion and chop it finely. Finally, peel and mince the garlic cloves.
- In a blender or food processor, combine the chopped tomatoes, cucumber, bell pepper, onion, and garlic and blend until smooth. You may need to do this in batches depending on the size of your blender.
- Once the vegetables are blended, add the tomato juice, olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt, pepper, sugar (if using), and hot sauce (if using). Blend again until everything is well combined.
- If the gazpacho appetizer is too thick for your liking, you can add a little more tomato juice or water to reach the desired consistency. If you prefer a thicker Spanish soup, add the slice of day-old bread to the blender and blend until smooth.
- To continue with this authentic gazpacho recipe, transfer it to a large bowl or pitcher and cover it. Place it in the refrigerator to chill for at least 2 hours, or until cold.
- Once chilled, stir the gazpacho. Taste the Spanish cold soup and adjust the seasoning if necessary.
- Pour the gazpacho into small glasses, such as shots and optionally garnish it with diced cucumber, bell pepper, or tomatoes, and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Serve the gazpacho appetizer cold and enjoy.
Notes
The hot sauce and sugar are optional ingredients, but they help to balance the flavors of this cold Spanish soup while adding an extra kick, so we encourage you to include them.
To speed up the cooling process of the gazpacho shots, you can pour them into shot glasses and place them on a tray in the fridge (since less volume will cool faster).
Another trick to cool cold Spanish soups is to place the bowl in the freezer and check it every 30 minutes to ensure it reaches the desired temperature without freezing solid.
Nutrition Information
Yield
12Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 101Total Fat 2.2gSaturated Fat 0.3gCholesterol 0mgSodium 77mgCarbohydrates 19.5gFiber 1.4gSugar 11.6gProtein 2g
Hola, I’m Paulina! Together with my team, we are passionate about Southern Spain. Here we share all you need to know for great times in Southern Spain with the best places to visit, stay and, of course, the best food to eat.
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