Gazpacho is a soup made of raw vegetables and served cold. It originated in Southern Spain. Gazpacho is widely eaten in Spain and Portugal especially in the hot summer months as it is very refreshing.
Traditionally, gazpacho was made by pounding the vegetables in a mortar with a pestle. This laborious method is still used sometimes as it helps keep the gazpacho cool and does not give a completely smooth consistency created by blenders and food processors. A traditional way of preparation was to pound garlic cloves in a mortar, then a little soaked stale bread, olive oil and salt were added to make a paste. The very ripe tomatoes and vinegar were added to this mix. In the days before refrigeration the gazpacho was left in an unglazed earthenware pot to cool by evaporation, and some water was added.
The basic Gazpacho gave rise to many variants. Gazpacho can be classified by color. Red, white and pale green are the colors of the different kinds of Gazpacho. The red or the basic one includes tomatoes, white one does not include tomatoes but it includes some dried fruits and the last variant the green one is made with certain spices and condiments.
Often Gazpacho is made with sour cream and then some vegetables are added for a flavor. I tried to make gazpacho a little bit more healthy so I completely omitted the sour cream. Instead I used butter milk and yogurt to give a smooth texture plus the cucumber, basil, mint and sprig onion were added to fit into the true definition of Gazpacho.
Ingredients:
2 cups butter milk, 4 tbsp of fresh yogurt, 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, 1/2 cup fresh mint leaves, 1 English cucumber peeled, seeds removed and chopped in to small pieces, 1/2 cup scallion chopped, salt to taste, 1 tbsp juice of fresh lemon, hot sauce or tabasco (optional)
Method:
Puree yogurt, butter milk, basil, mint, scallion in a blender. Add cucumber. Pulse until just combined but still slightly chunky.
Stir in lemon juice and hot sauce, and season with salt. Chill soup at least 2 hours before serving. This soup is best served the same day. You may top each serving with thin cucumber slices if desired.
