COLD SOUPS, BEYOND GAZPACHO

 

A pitcher of cold soup.

Long before gazpacho came into my life, vichyssoise was my first love. Cold, thick, creamy, sensuous. And, leeks! So sophisticated. For years, vichyssoise was the only thing I ever used leeks for. Then, on a hot summer’s day after I came to live in Andalusia, I turned from sophisticate to peasant. I lived for gazpacho. 

So what defines gazpacho? I have stated that gazpacho must be uncooked (no, don’t scald the tomatoes to facilitate skinning them) and contain an emulsion of olive oil, bread and garlic. Tomatoes are not essential, as white gazpacho is gazpacho’s predecessor. Nor is a blender, for gazpacho used to be made by field hands who crushed the ingredients in a wooden bowl. It was served, not cold, but only as cool as the spring water added to the gazpacho.

I am no longer such a stickler for tradition. I'm willing to stretch the gazpacho definition—let there be cherry gazpacho, no-bread gazpacho, even gazpacho with harissa— as long as it contains extra virgin olive oil! 

Here are a variety of cold soups for your summer pleasure. Some are cooked, then chilled; others, like gazpacho, are never cooked. 

Chilled leek and zucchini soup is both light and satisfying. Serve it as a starter or a lunch dish. 

Vichyssoise with Zucchini and Leeks (Crema Fria de Puerros). No potatoes in this soup, so it’s not really a vichyssoise. The zucchini and a few spoonsful of rice give the pureed soup its creamy texture without the addition of cream. Greek yogurt with chopped chives adds tang to the soup. 

Cold soups need strong flavors—acid, salt, spice—as chilling dulls taste. Add contrast to smooth pureed soups with a garnish or topping. The garnish can be as simple as croutons, chopped tomatoes, diced ibérico ham.  Glass pitchers that fit in the door of the fridge are perfect for chilling and serving cold soups, but a recycled plastic water bottle works too. (Use a funnel to fill it.) 

The recipe for Vichyssoise with Zucchini is below.

Ajo blanco, white gazpacho with garlic, almonds.

White Gazpacho (Ajo Blanco). Before there were tomatoes, there was gazpacho. Made with almonds, garlic, bread and olive oil. Although grapes are the classic garnish, the pictured version has sliced figs.  

The recipe for Ajo Blanco is here.

White gazpacho with pine nuts.

White Gazpacho with Pine Nuts (Gazpacho Blanco con Piñones). Where pine trees grow, such as in the marismas, marshlands of the Guadalquivir River, pine nuts might be used instead of almonds for the white gazpacho. The eggs in this recipe give the gazpacho a silky texture. 

The recipe for White Gazpacho with Pine Nuts is here.

White Gazpacho with Black Garlic (Ajo Blanco y Negro). A bit of drama--classic ajo blanco, with garlic and almonds, is garnished with fermented black garlic. 

Recipe: Black and White Garlic Gazpacho.

Summer Borscht (Crema Fria de Remolacha). Wow, color! Made with beets, this (no-salt) cold soup is a simplification of true Ukrainian borsch. Other vegetables such as carrots or beet greens can be cooked with the beets, which are subtly flavored with orange juice. 

Recipe: Summer Borscht.

Cucumber-yogurt cold soup.

Persian Chilled Cucumber-Yogurt Soup with Mint (Sopa Fria de Pepino con Yogur). Rich Greek yogurt blended with cucumber makes a creamy soup. Chopped mint gives it a fresh and cooling flavor while sultanas add sweetness. In the photo, the soup is garnished with rose petals.

Recipe: Chilled Cucumber Soup with Mint.

An unusual version of that recipe, made with white watermelon instead of cucumber, is here.

Cucumber gazpacho with dill.

Cucumber Gazpacho (Gazpacho de Pepino). Or, is it ajo blanco? This variation on cold cucumber soup has bread, like gazpacho, and almonds, like ajo blanco. 

The recipe is here.

Avocado gazpacho with a chopped salad of shrimp. 

Avocado Gazpacho (Gazpacho de Aguacates). Can this really be called gazpacho? Avocados replace the tomatoes and no bread is needed to thicken the mixture. It does have the requisite olive oil and garlic. It’s a refreshing, filling soup. Here it is shown with a garnish of a chopped salad of shrimp, cherry tomatoes, corn kernels and peppers. The recipes for the soup and garnishes are below.

Melon gazpacho.

Melon Gazpacho (Gazpacho de Melón Piel de Sapo). Melon gazpacho gets its color from the addition of both tomatoes and pimentón. While the melon is subtly sweet, Sherry vinegar gives the soup a real tang. 

Recipe: Melon Gazpacho.

Cherry gazpacho with croutons.

Cherry Gazpacho (Gazpacho de Cereza). A cheffy version of cherry gazpacho is served with a powdering of goat cheese and a sprinkling of pistachios--about as far from the fields of Andalusia as you can get! My version has traditional croutons of fried bread, but non-traditional basil seems to complement both the cherries and the tomatoes in the blend. 

Recipe: Cherry Gazpacho.

Pear Gazpacho

Pear Gazpacho (Gazpacho de Pera). This is a savoury soup, with garlic and olive oil. But, omit the garlic, add some honey and use cream instead of olive oil and you have a tasty summer dessert. 

Recipe for Pear Gazpacho is here.

Vichyssoise with Zucchini

Crema Fría de Calabacín

A version of Vichyssoise with no potatoes. This can be vegetarian, if desired. 

The recipe makes a thick soup, meant to be eaten with a spoon. For sipping, thin it with additional milk or water. Chopped chives are a traditional garnish, always good. But the soup also is good topped with something crunchy—bacon bits, scallions, chopped toasted almonds.

Leeks and zucchini for the soup.

¼ cup olive oil

4 ½ cups chopped leeks (1 pound)

1 shallot, chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

5 cups diced zucchini (1 ½ pounds)

3 tablespoons short-grain rice

Pinch of thyme

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

4 cups chicken or vegetable stock (or water)

1 cup milk + additional to thin the soup

¼ cup fresh lemon juice

½ cup Greek yogurt

3 tablespoons milk

¼ teaspoon salt 

Chopped chives

Heat the oil in a pan and sauté the leeks, shallot and garlic until softened without letting them brown, about 5 minutes. Add the zucchini and sauté another 3 minutes. Stir in the rice, thyme, 1 teaspoon of salt, pepper, stock and 1 cup of milk. Bring the soup to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until vegetables are very tender, 20 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and let the soup cool.

Use an immersion blender to puree the soup until smooth (or, puree in batches in a regular blender). Chill the soup, covered, until ready to serve. 

Stir the lemon juice into the chilled soup. If necessary, thin the soup with additional milk or water.

Whisk the yogurt with 3 tablespoons of milk and salt. Stir in some of the chopped chives. Serve the soup with a swirl of the yogurt mixture and a sprinkling of chives.

Avocado Gazpacho

Gazpacho de Aguacates

Smooth avocado gazpacho with shrimp garnish.

½ cup peeled and diced cucumber

½ cup peeled and diced tomato

¾ cup chopped onion

1 clove garlic

¼ cup chopped green pepper

2 cups chopped avocado (about 3 avocados, 18 ounces)

¼ cup fresh lemon juice

¼ cup chopped cilantro leaves

¼ teaspoon pimentón de la Vera picante (spicy-hot smoked paprika)

1 teaspoon salt

¼ cup + 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1 ½ cups water

Garnishes, recipes below

Place cucumber, tomato, onion, garlic and green pepper in food processor bowl and process until they are finely chopped. Add the avocado, lemon juice, cilantro, pimentón and salt. Process until avocado is combined. Add the oil and some of the water and process until the mixture is smooth. Add additional water to thin the soup to desired consistency.

Chill the gazpacho at least 2 hours. Serve the gazpacho garnished as desired.

Chopped Shrimp Salad for Gazpacho

Picadillo de Gambas para Gazpacho

This mix of chopped salad ingredients and shrimp makes a lovely garnish for any gazpacho. 

½ cup quartered cherry tomatoes

¼ cup corn kernels

1 tablespoon minced green pepper and/or jalapeño

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

½ cup cooked, peeled, chopped shrimp

Salt

1 tablespoon chopped cilantro

Combine the tomatoes, corn, green pepper and oil. Stir in the shrimp. Season to taste with salt. Stir in the cilantro. To serve, spoon the chopped salad on top of gazpacho. 

Piquillo Pepper Swirl for Gazpacho

Crema de Piquillo para Gazpacho

Same avocado gazpacho, served in coupes with a swirl of piquillo pepper sauce and a shrimp.

If canned piquillo peppers are not available, use any roasted, peeled red pepper. 

1 cup drained piquillo peppers

Chile (optional)

1 clove garlic

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon Sherry vinegar

Salt

Combine the peppers, chile, if using, garlic, oil and vinegar in a blender. Whizz until smooth and pureed. Add salt to taste.

To serve, swirl a spoonful of the sauce into bowls of gazpacho.

For everything you ever wanted to know about gazpacho:

The Gazpacho Diaries, Days 1-7.

The Gazpacho Diaries, Week 2.

The Gazpacho Diaries, Week 3.

The Gazpacho Diaries, Week 4.

The Gazpacho Diaries, Final Week.