Gazpacho granita simply takes the idea of a cold summer soup to its logical extreme. If we love it cold, why not make it icy? Right?
Gazpacho lovers know that this iconic Spanish soup is pretty flexible. It’s mostly tomatoes whomped up in a food processor or blender, with some cucumber and a bell (or other mild) pepper, not-too-much onion and garlic, and finished with olive oil, vinegar, and salt. Proportions can vary and you can taste as you go. My latest and greatest was made with the super sweet cherry tomatoes known as Sweet 100’s, a wedge of Vidalia onion, good sherry vinegar, and an exquisite California extra virgin olive oil.
Traveling in Spain last year, I was reminded that adding a little soaked bread to the processor, thickens the gazpacho in a very nice way, and turns the color more creamy pink than red. I now add bread to my gazpacho on a regular basis. But in translating gazpacho to granita, I found that the bread was not an asset—icy wet bread is not so nice on the tongue! In the end, I simply made gazpacho (without bread or the extra water that is often added to thin it) and gave it the granita treatment: I poured it into a shallow baking dish, pushed it into the freezer and scraped it a couple of times as it froze.
The biggest challenge was finding a level place for it in my densely packed freezer. But taste-wise, the resulting granita was tasty and refreshing. You could serve it topped with sour cream or crème fraîche or fresh herbs, or next to a scoop of burrata—or perfectly plain. It’s even delicious—and quite unexpected—with vanilla ice cream (or sour cream or crème fraîche ice cream). See what you think.
| 1 | pound (16 ounces/450 grams) flavorful tomatoes |
| 1/2 | a small (green, red, orange or yellow) bell pepper (85 grams/3 ounces) |
| 1/2 | a Persian cucumber (85 grams/3 ounces) or a 3-ounce chunk of a larger type |
| 1 | large garlic clove |
| 1/2 | a medium Vidalia onion (55 grams/2 ounces) or other sweet onion |
| 1/4 | cup extra virgin olive oil |
| 2 | tablespoons sherry vinegar (or red wine vinegar) |
| 1/2 | teaspoon salt |
| Sugar to taste, optional |
| 1 | pound (16 ounces/450 grams) flavorful tomatoes |
| 1/2 | a small (green, red, orange or yellow) bell pepper (85 grams/3 ounces) |
| 1/2 | a Persian cucumber (85 grams/3 ounces) or a 3-ounce chunk of a larger type |
| 1 | large garlic clove |
| 1/2 | a medium Vidalia onion (55 grams/2 ounces) or other sweet onion |
| 1/4 | cup extra virgin olive oil |
| 2 | tablespoons sherry vinegar (or red wine vinegar) |
| 1/2 | teaspoon salt |
| Sugar to taste, optional |
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