Tomato-Cherry Gazpacho
Ingredients
- 2-1/2 pounds ripe tomatoes cored and roughly chopped
- 1/2 pound sweet cherries pitted and halved (~ 20 cherries)
- 1 small Italian frying pepper stemmed, seeded and roughly chopped
- 1 cup ~ 5 ounces salted Marcona almonds (see Notes)
- 1/2 medium red onion roughly chopped
- 4 cloves roasted garlic or 1 clove fresh garlic see Notes
- 1/4 cup flavorful extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup sherry vinegar
- Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Garnish: ½ cup of loosely packed basil cut chiffonade style or torn
Instructions
- In a large bowl, toss tomatoes, cherries, Italian pepper, almonds, red onion, garlic, vinegar, olive oil and a very generous pinch each of salt and pepper. Let gazpacho base stand at room temperature for 2 hours to marinate.
- Working in batches if needed, in a food processor, blender or Vitamix, purée the gazpacho base until very smooth, about 2 minutes.
- Transfer to another large bowl. Cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours or overnight.
- Before serving, season gazpacho with salt, adding a few tablespoons of water if too thick.
- Ladle into bowls and top with a few pieces of basil.
- Keeps 2 to 3 days, refrigerated.
Notes
* If you don’t have Marcona almonds, use the same amount of blanched almonds. Place them on a small baking sheet and toast them at 350°F for about 5 to 7 minutes – watching them carefully so they do not burn. Let cool before adding them to the soup ingredients.
* If you have time, I recommend making roasted garlic. See Provençal Herb Roasted Garlic for a recipe. It’s okay if some herbs get into the soup or you can make it without any herbs.
* If you have time, I recommend making roasted garlic. See Provençal Herb Roasted Garlic for a recipe. It’s okay if some herbs get into the soup or you can make it without any herbs.
