Smoky Gazpacho

For when you have too much lore

Prep time: 25 min | Cooking time: 10 min | Chilling time: 2 hours | Total time: 2 hours 35 minutes | Difficulty: 2/5

A classic Andalusian gazpacho is bright, raw, and fairly boring. This one keeps the soul of the dish—ripe tomatoes, olive oil, bright vinegar—but layers in roasted red pepper, roasted almonds for body, and smoked black pepper so the cold stays refreshing while the flavour reads deeper.

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Ingredients (serves 4–6)

Very ripe tomatoes 1 kg / 2 lb 3 oz (6–8 medium)
Red bell peppers 2
Cucumber 250 g / 9 oz (1 medium)
Red onion 80 g / 3 oz (1 small)
Garlic cloves 2
Roasted almonds 60 g / ½ cup
Extra-virgin olive oil 60 ml / ¼ cup plus more to finish
Sherry vinegar 20–30 ml / 1½–2 tbsp to taste
Smoked black pepper ¾–1 tsp to taste
Chipotle in adobo ½–1 tsp (start small)
Fine sea salt 8 g / 1¼ tsp plus more after chilling
Cold water only if needed to loosen texture

Equipment

Grill or oven broiler
Heatproof bowl and cover (lid, plate, or clingfilm)
Chopping board and knife
High-speed blender
Mixing bowl
Small frying pan

Method

Roast the peppers: Grill/broil until skins are blistered and blackened. Transfer to a bowl, cover, and let steam for 10 minutes. Peel, seed, and roughly chop
Prepare the vegetables: Core and roughly chop the tomatoes. Peel and roughly chop the cucumber and onion. Peel the garlic
Combine tomatoes, cucumber, onion, garlic, peppers, and salt in a large bowl. Add 1 tablespoon vinegar and let stand 15 minutes
Blitz almonds with 1 cup of the veg mixture to a fine paste
Add remaining vegetables and juices, chipotle, smoked pepper, and remaining vinegar. Blend until smooth
Emulsify: With the blender running, stream in olive oil until glossy. Loosen with cold water if needed
Chill: Refrigerate at least 2 hours. Taste cold and adjust seasoning
Serve: Drizzle with olive oil and finish with smoked pepper

Dealing with Leftovers

Store in a tupperware in the fridge for up to 3 days. Stir before serving, as natural separation may occur. Not suitable for freezing — the texture will split on thawing.

Nutritional Value (per serving, based on 6 servings)

Calories: ~180 kcal

Protein: ~4 g

Fat: ~14 g

Saturated fat: ~1.8 g

Carbohydrates: ~12 g

Sugars: ~6 g

Fibre: ~3 g

Sodium: ~480 mg

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