Margaret's Garlicky Gazpacho

Traditional gazpacho uses sherry vinegar and a touch of garlic. Margaret’s version turns the dial up on both fronts: six full cloves of garlic blended raw into the soup, and a full cup of balsamic vinegar instead of the more delicate sherry. The result is sharper and more assertive, the kind of gazpacho that wakes you up rather than just refreshing you.

Everything goes raw into a blender: peeled tomatoes, seeded cucumbers, green and yellow bell peppers, onions, tomato paste for body, and the garlic. The juice (vegetable cocktail like V8) goes in at the end with the salt and pepper, after the vegetables are already smooth. That keeps you from over-thinning the soup before you know how thick it’ll be.

The long chill is non-skippable. Four hours minimum, longer is better. Raw garlic and onion mellow significantly over time in cold liquid, going from punchy to harmonious.

Pro Tips

• Peel the tomatoes properly. Score the bottom with an X, drop in boiling water for 30 seconds, then into ice water; the skins slip off. Unpeeled tomatoes leave bits of skin in the blend that the strainer can’t catch.
• Seed the cucumbers. Cucumber seeds turn bitter when blended and water down the soup.
• Taste after 4 hours of chilling, not before. The flavours are still ragged when fresh; they smooth out as the soup rests.
• For a silkier texture, strain through a fine-mesh sieve after blending. For rustic body, leave it as is.

Variations

• Swap the balsamic for sherry vinegar for a more classic Spanish profile.
• Add a slice of stale bread blended in for a thicker, more traditional Andalusian gazpacho.
• Top with a drizzle of olive oil, diced cucumber, and finely chopped hard-boiled egg for a fully loaded bowl.