This Peach Gazpacho Soup recipe, inspired by a recent trip to Barcelona, is so smooth it’s drinkable. A cool, healthy, vegetarian meal for those summer days when you can’t bear to be near a stove.
This Peach Gazpacho has been a long time in the making. I had a few things I had to get straight first. So, I went to Barcelona. You’re welcome.
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“Can a soup technically be called ‘gazpacho’ if it has no tomato in it?”
Spirited, confident and unapologetically opinionated, my cooking instructor, Maria, at Cook and Taste Barcelona was the perfect person to finally lay my questions and concerns about gazpacho to rest.
Maybe it’s my Catholic upbringing, but when approaching anything unfamiliar (not just food) I’m very particular about finding out exactly what the rules are. After that, of course, I’m fully prepared to break the ones that don’t suit me. But, first, I need to know the lay of the land.
Back to Barcelona.
And just a heads up there’s a Barcelona slideshow after the recipe.
Maria pursed her lips and wrinkled her brow at me for a split second then declared, “Sure. Why not? Tomato is not mandatory. But, bread! If it does not have bread, I think it can not be called gazpacho!”
And the way she says “I think” is the way most people say “there’s no way in hell.”
I nodded in agreement but, frankly, had no idea gazpacho ever had bread in it. This, in a nutshell, is why I love to travel.
Gazpacho is one of the ways the Catalán culture lets no food go to waste. In other words, if you’ve got day old bread and some fresh produce that’s about to go bad? Congratulations. You’ve got dinner!
It is also meant to be very mild in taste. Maria, again:
“Nothing too sharp! Gazpacho should taste like everything and nothing at the same time. You know?”
Uh. I do now.
[clickToTweet tweet=”Need something cool and smooth for dinner? Try this healthy Peach Gazpacho soup. #vegetarian” quote=”It’s always more fun/to share with everyone” theme=”style1″]
The gazpacho I’ve had in the US has always been chunky and spicy. Delicious, but it must be from a different region of Spain. I can tell you, with Maria-like confidence, it is not Catalán.
Healthy Peach Gazpacho Recipe
This Peach Gazpacho here may not be all that Catalán either but it is most definitely Catalán-inspired. Not to mention, cooling, smooth and satisfying.
It’s been so hot in Brooklyn since we got back from our trip that I’ve been having a hard time cooking. I’ve taken to serving this peach gazpacho with some cured meats, cheeses, olives and wine. I have had 0.0 complaints from the family!
In other words, we are back from Spain but we are not really back from Spain.
Which is fine by me.
Have you traveled this summer? Where did you go? And, more importantly, what did you eat? Let me know in the comments and please help me grow this blog by sharing this recipe with your friends on your favorite social media channel.
These tools come in handy when making this Peach Gazpacho and none of them generate any heat!
More great warm weather meal ideas
Cod en Papillote with Zoodles {Low Carb}
Italian Flair Bowl {Vegetarian}
Sun-Dried Tomato and Chorizo Mussels
- 1 cup stale bread cubed
- 2 Tablespoons sherry vinegar
- 2 Tablespoons water
- 3 cups /500 gr fresh peaches pitted, peeled and diced
- 1/2 cup /90 gr cucumber peeled, seeded and diced
- 1 Tablespoon scallion or spring onion diced
- 1/4 cup /40 gr yellow bell pepper diced
- 1 medium ripe tomato skin discarded, grated
- 1 garlic clove diced
- 1 cup water
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 Tablespoon sherry vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- slivered almonds for garnish optional
- Soak bread in sherry vinegar and water for 15 minutes (or as long as it takes to prepare the other ingredients.)
- Combine soaked bread with peaches through the 1 cup of water in a blender (or bowl if using immersion blender.)
- Blend until very smooth.
- Strain through fine-mesh sieve into a large bowl.
- Stir in last three ingredients (oil, vinegar, salt) until well combined.
- Cover and chill overnight (see note.)
- Serve chilled with slivered almonds for garnish (optional.) Drizzle with more olive oil and/or vinegar to taste.
Prep time doesn't include chilling. Ideally, it should be refrigerated overnight before serving. In any event, chill as long as time permits. A few ice cubes come in handy in a pinch. Rounding out your fresh peach supply with frozen peaches is perfectly acceptable. Some gazpacho recipes suggest discarding the crust of the bread before soaking. To me, this seems a waste. In my cooking class, we used it so I did in this recipe as well. Also, the type of bread doesn't matter.
And here’s a YouTube slideshow if you’d like to see some pictures from our trip to Spain.
This one from Flickr is nicer but doesn’t work on mobile.
Created with flickr slideshow.
love your version , I also thought its should have tomato in it! I would love to try it, what do you think I use to replace sherry vinegar?
Isn’t that funny!?! You can easily replace the sherry vinegar with red wine vinegar. Come back and let me know what you think!
Thanks! But I meant a virgin substitute, apple cider vinegar maybe?
Oh, yes. That would be delicious.
That’s good, I pinned it already
This looks so good and reminds me of a cherry gazpacho we had in Alicante a couple years ago!
Oh my gosh cherry gazpacho sounds so amazing!!
I never knew it had bread in it either! Jealous that you got to go to the heart of Spain and learn from the best! I would be scared of the inflection of her voice too. I bet her kids never got out of line. I’m with you on the rules. Rules-shmules. Let’s break them all!! This looks delicious and great for that hot, late summer, dinner that is really just tapas…
I was a little intimidated by her but I also loved her. She was so spirited. I’m really glad I did the class. It was a highlight for me, for sure.
Your peach chilled soup is gorgeous, Christine! Right up my street, combining healthy, simple and creative at the same time:)
You’re right it is simple! But I shied away from calling it ‘easy.’ There’s a difference, I think, and this does require a good amount of chopping. Some may find that easy. I find it work, but therapeutic work.
Well, I’m certainly glad I waited until I had the time today to enjoy your gorgeous recipe and your trip to Spain!
I LOVE your photos, Christine. The trip looks like a once in a lifetime experience and I am once again moved by those beautiful sunflowers. The architecture, the romance, everything about Spain makes me long to visit. Thank you for sharing those!
And your gazpacho! I had no idea it was supposed to have bread either but I’m so glad to know this because it opens up a whole new world of soups. I’ve only made a couple of them but I will now look at it in a brand new way. And your food photos…mwah! Fabulous, Dahling!
If you want to go to Spain with a friend…I’m available. Just sayin’ 😉 And if you do go, I highly recommend Cook and Taste for cooking classes. I think they’re in other countries in Europe, too.
Is there a reason it has to have bread? And I saw that you did add a tomato. The slide show is spectacular! That will be my next trip. Were the people friendly?
Very friendly but many did not speak English, even in the city. I think it has bread because it is their typical way of using up bread that’s past its prime. Could you use gluten free bread?
Absolutely. If I actually have a peach harvest next year (this year they were all devoured by worms) I will make this!
Worms, huh? Bummer. At least they ate well. Jealous you have peach trees.