My mother just prepared the best gazpacho I’ve ever tasted in my life! I brought a huge box of tomatoes from my garden back to the Midwest with me and since gazpacho is one of her favorite soups along with this intense heat in July, she decided to use them to make her ‘wow-factor’ version of this chilled Spanish tomato-vegetable soup. I inherited my ‘preserve, freeze, and/or can’ outlook from my mother, so not surprisingly, she froze most of this batch of soup to enjoy later. “No waste, no want!” I could easily say that this gazpacho could rival that of the culinary pros.
The color of this soup is seriously this beautiful shade of deep red, resulting from the vine-ripe tomatoes that she used. This radiant color and flavor cannot be achieved with those hard, juice-less, spongy pink things that you find in a grocery store. Also worth noting: the flavor intensifies as it chills in the refrigerator, preferably overnight.
My mother doesn’t use exact measurements, she’s an old-school, taste-as-you-go cook and she is a master at it. So I said that she had to give me a little help to be able to write down the recipe and post it here.
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PinIngredients
- 6 cups chopped, vine-ripe, fresh tomatoes
- 2 large cucumbers, 1 peeled, 1 with peel left on, all seeds removed, sliced and cut into 1/4″ chunks
- 2 cups chopped celery, sliced and cut into 1/4″ chunks
- 1 cup Vidalia onion, sliced and cut into 1/4″ chunks
- 2 red peppers, stem and seeds removed, sliced and cut into 1/4″ chunks
- 1 yellow pepper, stem and seeds removed, sliced and cut into 1/4″ chunks
- 1 green pepper, stem and seeds removed, sliced and cut into 1/4″ chunks
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/3 cup vinegar: 1/2 of it balsamic vinegar and 1/2 of it red wine vinegar
- 2 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
- 5 cups tomato juice (Campbell’s brand is recommended)
Instructions
- Mix everything together and chill overnight for the best marriage of flavors!
Enjoy this delicious Gazpacho!
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Dzoli says
July 23, 2011 at 9:04 PMOh Mama Mia.I love nothing more tahn gaspadio in the summer.It looks fantastic;)
Anne says
July 23, 2011 at 9:32 PMOh Roz! That looks absolutely gorgeous! I wonder if you have a good recipe for Minestrone. I have my own recipe but I’ll have a look through your web site for yours.
Anne xx
Pam says
July 23, 2011 at 9:56 PMYou know, I’ve never had gazpacho. Must fix that.
Pegasuslegend says
July 23, 2011 at 10:09 PMAnything mexican I am there ! This is so refreshing at this time of year just love the freshness!
Maureen says
July 23, 2011 at 10:26 PMThe color is divine!! So fresh and delicious on a hot day. Yummy!
anniebakes says
July 23, 2011 at 10:59 PMthat looks wonderful roz and even more special when it’s made by mom! anne
redkathy says
July 23, 2011 at 11:08 PMHi Roz,
Your mom is the best ever! Your beautiful photos make me wish for a bowl right now.
I worked in a small Mexican restaurant where I was first introduced to Gazpacho. My boss prepared a spicy version that was fabulous and a huge summer hit!
Have a great weekend and enjoy your soup 🙂
Foodness Gracious says
July 24, 2011 at 1:02 AMWow amazing colors! I love Italian food and aiways on the search for good authentic recipes. Yours looks delicious,
New follower and excited..
Chris's Gourmet Fashion says
July 24, 2011 at 1:29 AMI really see that WOW factor here. Di a tua mamma che e’ una bravissima cuoca 🙂
peachkins says
July 24, 2011 at 2:23 AMI am a soup gal! This looks crazy delish!
peachkins says
July 24, 2011 at 2:23 AMI am a soup gal! This looks crazy delish!
Lizzy says
July 24, 2011 at 6:14 AMAnd here I thought my mom had the best recipe!!! This looks excellent, Roz…I’m a huge fan of gazpacho. Please give your mom and Kelly a big hug from me 🙂 xo
Sam @ My Carolina Kitchen says
July 24, 2011 at 6:19 AMMom always knows best. Perfect for these hot dog days of summer Roz.
Sam
Rosemary says
July 24, 2011 at 7:55 AMWhat a mom you have! Even though I love soup, I’ve never been a big cold soup fan; but this looks so delicious if you’re freezing it, well, then, I’ll just heat it up later. Stay cool! (I think I cook like your mom, but I’m still an apprentice!)
Patti says
July 24, 2011 at 10:30 AMBella Mamma! This one is being bookmarked for sure!
Lark (SparkyLarky) says
July 24, 2011 at 12:58 PMThis looks and sounds amazing~ I wanna come stay for a visit and learn some wonderful new recipes like this! (Your mom sounds as if she was a great cook!)
Ciao Chow Linda says
July 24, 2011 at 1:24 PMWhat a delicious way to beat the heat.
MM says
July 24, 2011 at 6:56 PMOh! Beautiful! And you are so right about the color.
Thanks for sharing this with Garden Variety Wednesday!
Claudia says
July 24, 2011 at 9:28 PMNow that all the produce is coming through – I will be making this. Your mother is a very wise woman and this soup beckons.
Jennifurla says
July 25, 2011 at 12:10 AMyou have induced a craving!
kitchen flavours says
July 25, 2011 at 2:30 AMWow, this soup looks so gorgeous and delicious! Your own homegrown tomatoes, envy, envy…! 🙂
Kitchen Belleicious says
July 25, 2011 at 8:21 AMUmmm… YUMMMMMM! Can you send your momma over to my house to cook for me! Wow, it looks amazing much less tastes amazing. Seriously, so fresh and vibrant and I can see the flavors just oozing out from the picture!Go momma!
Kim says
July 25, 2011 at 8:24 AMMmmm.. this looks great. I’ve never had gazpacho either, really… And today’s grocery day, so I think I’ll plan for it this week. Looks delicious!
Anna and Liz Recipes says
July 25, 2011 at 10:29 AMRoz ! Just love your recipes! We too came from Italian Mamma! Delicious recipes! Thanks for sharing!
Yvonne @ StoneGable says
July 25, 2011 at 10:30 AMRoz, I just found you ! Wow, What a wonderful blog! I’ll be joining you for Fresh Food Friday!
The gazspacho from your mother looks fabulous and so fresh. Perfect supper to beat the heat!
Please join me at StoneGable for ON THE MENU MONDAY. This recipe would be a lovely addition.
So nice to stop by today!
Yvonne
Erin @ Cooking on Whim says
July 25, 2011 at 2:59 PMYour site is so cute! I liked you through facebook– if you could follow me back that would be great!
Karen (Back Road Journal) says
July 25, 2011 at 5:13 PMGazpacho is so refreshing. I think it cools the body from the inside out. What a beautiful soup!
Roz @ weightingfor50 says
July 25, 2011 at 5:17 PMHi other Roz!!!!! Your Mama’s gazpacho looks fantastic! (I could go for a bowl of it right now!!!) I’m going to book mark the recipe and give it a go. Hope your Monday has gone well!!! Roz in Canada.
Bianca @ Upright Vacuum Cleaner says
July 26, 2011 at 12:16 AMAs someone else said, I think I’m drooling. I love this for dinner on a cold, rainy night.
Suzanne @ Stainlesssteelfrypan says
July 26, 2011 at 12:19 AMMade it last night for my husband and I – really, really great dinner!! We licked up every last bit and it was deemed worthy of the repeat list : ) Thank you!!
Cathy at Wives with Knives says
July 26, 2011 at 8:52 AMI don’t think there is a more beautiful soup than this one, Roz. What a perfect meal for a warm summer evening.
Rosa's Yummy Yums says
July 26, 2011 at 9:07 AMA lovely gazpacho! Beautiful and appetizing.
Cheers,
Rosa
LindyLouMac in Italy says
July 26, 2011 at 2:52 PMYour Mum’s Gazpacho looks delicious.
Lizzy says
August 8, 2011 at 9:28 AMI’m making gazpacho today…and just had to compare your mama’s recipe to my mama’s recipe! Gorgeous as are all of your creations~xoxo
Angie@Angie's Recipes says
July 18, 2018 at 4:45 AMA fantastic summer recipe to use the tomatoes from your own garden! The soup looks so very appetizing!
Roz says
July 18, 2018 at 5:45 PMThanks Angie, it is also perfect for these hot summer days!
Pam says
July 20, 2018 at 8:55 AMWoo hoo, Roz! Your mom knew how to do this! It looks sooo delicious! I love gazpacho but have never made it. So now I can with this great recipe! Thanks! Take care and enjoy the rest of summer!
Roz says
July 21, 2018 at 11:27 AMThanks Pam, I sure will enjoy the rest of summer . . . it’s flying by! One more month and I’m back teaching. That’s a good thing too though.
Ciao,
Roz