STRAWBERRY GAZPACHO

I decided to make this cold soup because I bought 2 punnets of strawberries at half-price, $1.25 each!! They also had baby cucumbers and cherry tomatoes on special. I had never tried this recipe before, but have made Gazpacho many times. I have changed the recipe a bit. From 'Home Cooking'.

Gazpacho is a very traditional summer cold soup from the south of the Spain. Every family have their own recipe, and basically the ingredients are the same, but some people vary their quantities. It is very healthy and delicious. No cooking is necessary. 

INGREDIENTS:

2 x 250g punnets strawberries, hulled

1 garlic clove, chopped

1/2 onion, chopped

1/2 red capsicum, chopped

2 Lebanese cucumbers, seeds removed, chopped

1 small bunch Italian parsley

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus extra to serve

1 cup tomato juice or 200g cherry tomatoes (plus 200 ml water)

Salt and pepper 

a pinch of brown sugar

Thinly sliced jamón or prosciutto and croutons, to serve

METHOD

Reserve 2 strawberries for garnish.

Place the remaining strawberries in a glass or ceramic bowl with the garlic, onion, capsicum, cucumber, parsley, vinegar, oil and either the tomato juice or the fresh tomatoes and water (whatever you are using).

Use a stick blender to puree the strawberry mixture until smooth. (Alternatively, puree in batches in a blender).

(Make sure you blend it very well. I used a hand blender and it took me about 15 minutes to get it to the right consistency.) 

Cover and stand for 2-3 hours to allow the flavours to develop.

(I used fresh tomatoes instead of tomato juice. Add some water instead. It's very important to let the vegetables rest, and always tastes  better the following day.)

Pass the soup through a sieve into a clean bowl, pressing down with the back of a spoon to extract as much juice as possible and discarding the solids.

(Normally, with the traditional gazpacho, I don't strain it, but I did with this one because the seeds from the strawberries made it not too nice to eat.)

Season and chill the soup for at least 30 minutes.

Cook the jamon and make the croutons - see below. Finely slice the reserved 2 strawberries. Ladle the chilled soup into bowls and drizzle with extra oil.

Serve garnished with the sliced strawberries, croutons and the crunchy jamón or prosciutto.

Serves 4

Croutons
I made my own. Cut the crusts from 2 slices of wholemeal bread (I used soy and linseed) and then cut the bread into very small cubes. Put in a bowl with a splash of oil, salt and pepper or if you prefer some focaccia spices or similar. Mix well together, put them on a baking sheet lined with baking paper and put it under a preheated grill for about 1-2 minutes. You should check it as they burn very easily. Turn over halfway. Remove from oven and let them cool down. Once they are cold, you can store the croutons in a plastic container and use them later or even the following day.

Jamón or prosciutto
I put the Serrano on a hot non-stick frypan and let it cook for about 1 minute each side. Remove and put on a plate and let it cool. I prefer it crunchy for this recipe. Cut into small pieces and serve it on top of gazpacho with croutons, the strawberries and some finely chopped cucumber (optional) for a bit of texture.